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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038123">Coffee and Magic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectronicYarn/pseuds/ElectronicYarn'>ElectronicYarn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff, Innocent Misgendering, Mild Language, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:26:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,502</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectronicYarn/pseuds/ElectronicYarn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world much like our own, ordinary girl Undine Wells is the assistant manager at a local coffee shop. Little does she know that the pink-haired stranger who just walked into her shop will change her life forever.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kokoro | Heartful Punch/Undine Wells | Alchemical Water</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Six a.m. Some Ordinary Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you’ve somehow stumbled across this story and don’t know anything about Sleepless Domain, I highly recommend checking it out first. It’s a webcomic, so the whole thing is available for free. Just type “Sleepless Domain” into Google and you’ll find it.</p><p>I had a real problem when I decided to write this fic. Usually I come up with ideas for stories based on things that I would change about canon. But in the case of Sleepless Domain I genuinely couldn’t think of any improvements that weren’t nitpicking. So what did I do? Fall back on the most stereotypical fanfic trope of all time: the coffee shop AU! This is actually a first for me. But hey, sometimes the classics are classic for a reason.</p><p>This story was written while Chapter 16 of Sleepless Domain was being posted.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Another mysterious attack by unknown assailants last night,” a newscaster said on the television screen. “The third such incident in less than two weeks. Fortunately, only minor injuries were reported. Once again there are rumors that the victims were ambushed by strange creatures. However, in an official press release, the police have stated that wild animals are responsible for these attacks, and the supposed monster sightings are merely the result of traumatic stress. No evidence has yet come to light to indicate who or what may be perpetrating these events. For the second time in a row, the victims also reported an unusual pink—”</p><p>Undine hit the mute button on the television. The reporter continued to speak in perfect silence while Undine returned to the task of getting the Sunbucks, the coffee shop where she worked, ready to open for the day. She had no idea why her coworker, Bud, always insisted on turning on the morning news before the shop had officially opened its doors. There wasn’t anything wrong with wanting to stay informed, but Undine enjoyed the peace and quiet that filled the shop before the excitement of the morning rush got underway. There was something special about it, like the calm before a summer’s storm. Fortunately for Undine, she was the assistant manager, which meant that she had the final say in the matter. Although that never seemed to stop Bud from turning on the news anyway.</p><p>“Aw. It was just getting good,” Bud said from over by the back counter where she was flicking on the shop’s vast array of coffee makers.</p><p>Undine shook her head in wry amusement. “You’re really interested in that animal attack story,” she said.</p><p>“Monster attack,” Bud corrected. “It’s about time we had a little excitement around here.”</p><p>Undine turned to face her dark-haired coworker. “There’s no such thing as monsters,” she said. “It will probably turn out to be some wild dogs.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Bud said. From her tone of voice it almost sounded like she was in on some kind of secret. But that was how Bud always sounded. Undine doubted that she knew anything more than what was being reported on the news.</p><p>Undine glanced up at a clock on the wall. It was six o’clock, time for the shop’s doors to open. She took one last look around the lobby to make sure that nothing was out of place. Once she was satisfied that everything was ready, she picked up the Sunbucks-branded visor that she always wore as part of her uniform and slipped it onto her head where it nestled into her curly, black hair.</p><p>Undine fished her keys out of her apron pocket and headed toward the front door. She hadn’t even gone five steps before she heard Bud unmute the television. Undine chuckled to herself. At least she’d gotten Bud to agree to keep the volume at a reasonable level during the day.</p><p>Someone was already waiting outside the shop’s front door. However, they weren’t a customer. Undine unlocked the door and opened it up. “Good morning, Zack,” she said.</p><p>“Hi…” Zack said in his usual quiet manner.</p><p>“I know your shift doesn’t start until six, but you can always knock when you get here,” Undine said. “We’ll let you in early.”</p><p>“I know…. I don’t want to be a bother,” Zack said as he shuffled past Undine into the shop.</p><p>Zack Blecher was the third member of the shop’s morning crew. Undine wasn’t sure exactly how old he was, but she didn’t think he could be more than sixteen. That made him at least three years her junior. He was a painfully shy boy, and his eyes always seemed to be hidden behind his mop of fluffy brown hair. But he was something of a savant when it came to preparing the dizzying array of drinks that Sunbucks offered. Undine didn’t even think he drank coffee, at least she’d never seen him take advantage of his employee discount. But he was great at his job, so long as he didn’t have to face the customers directly. She’d miss him when summer ended and he’d have to go back to school.</p><p>“Hi…Bud,” Zack practically whispered as he skulked back behind the counter.</p><p>“Yo,” Bud said, although she wasn’t paying much attention to Zack. Her eyes were glued to the television despite the news having moved on from sensational stories of monster attacks.</p><p>Undine took a few minutes out in the shop’s lobby to straighten the various products that lined the shelves and displays. Then she headed back to the front counter. She had just taken up her post at the cash register when the door chime sounded, signaling the first customer of the day.</p><p>Undine turned to face the door. She’d been a barista for longer than she’d been an adult. Admittedly that wasn’t very long in the grand scheme of things, but it was long enough to desensitize her to the shocking variety of people who patronized the shop. However, there was something about the young woman who had just walked in that really caught her eye. The woman’s posture wasn’t so different from Zack’s, with her shoulders hunched and her hands shoved into the pockets of the light jacket she was wearing. But she was tall and fit, and the purposeful strides she was making toward the front counter spoke of confidence. Perhaps most striking of all, she had bright pink hair. Most of it was shoved underneath a baseball cap, but it stood out nonetheless. It must have been dyed very recently because the color hadn’t faded at all. Undine would have ordinarily assumed that the woman was the type who liked to draw attention to herself. However, her baseball cap and the fact that she was still wearing the pair of sunglasses that she’d walked in with made it look like she was trying to do the exact opposite.</p><p>The woman reached the counter. Undine realized that she was in danger of gawking. She silently chastised herself and offered the woman a genuine smile. “Welcome!” she said. “How can I help you?”</p><p>The woman took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were a brilliant crystal blue color. Undine actually felt herself blushing at how beautiful they were, but she quickly composed herself. It was only then that she noticed the heavy bags under the woman’s eyes.</p><p>The woman stared blankly at the menu boards up above. It was obvious that she hadn’t gotten much sleep recently. In fact, she looked like she was ready to lie down and take a nap right there in the middle of the lobby.</p><p>“Did you have a long night?” Undine asked.</p><p>“Uh…yeah,” the woman said, coming to life a little. “Yeah, I just…started…a second job? I’m not really used to staying up so late.”</p><p>“You came to the right place then,” Undine said. “What would you like?”</p><p>“Um…” the woman said, studying the menu in earnest this time. It wasn’t long before she looked completely lost.</p><p>“Is this your first time in a Sunbucks?” Undine asked.</p><p>“Yeah. I’ve never really drank coffee before,” the woman said. “I don’t know what half those words mean.”</p><p>Undine quietly laughed. She knew what the woman meant. Before she’d started working at Sunbucks she’d always assumed that coffee was coffee. It had turned out to be a bit more complicated than that.</p><p>“Would you like some help?” Undine asked.</p><p>“Please,” the woman said, sounding grateful.</p><p>“Hmm,” Undine said, looking the woman over. She wasn’t a boastful person by nature, but if there was one thing that she was proud of, it was her ability to marry customers to their new favorite drink.</p><p>“Ordinarily I’d suggest a latte,” Undine said. “But for you, I think you’d enjoy regular coffee with a little bit of milk.”</p><p>“Alright. Coffee with milk it is,” the woman said.</p><p>Undine punched up the woman’s order, discreetly selecting a size for her. She didn’t want to trouble her with Sunbucks’ esoteric labels for the various sizes of drink. “And what’s your name?” Undine asked.</p><p>“Oh! It’s Kokoro,” the woman said.</p><p>Undine nodded. Kokoro. It was a nice sounding name. She couldn’t tell Kokoro that of course. She didn’t want to sound unprofessional. However, when she looked up from the register again, she accidentally blurted out, “Oh! How cute!”</p><p>“Huh?” Kokoro said.</p><p>Undine’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just noticed your tattoo.”</p><p>Kokoro had finally taken her hands out of her pockets so she could retrieve her credit card. On the back of her right hand was a tattoo of a pink heart with a star inscribed inside of it. It was the exact same color as her hair.</p><p>“Uh…yeah! A tattoo!” Kokoro said, fidgeting nervously. “I wasn’t expecting to get one, but…uh….”</p><p>Undine took Kokoro’s credit card, all the while expecting her to finish her sentence. She never did.</p><p>“We’ll have your coffee right out for you,” Undine said, handing Kokoro back her credit card along with the receipt.</p><p>“Thanks, Curls,” Kokoro said.</p><p>Undine snickered at the nickname. She watched as Kokoro wandered off into the lobby and took a seat at one of the smaller tables. She knew she shouldn’t have been staring, but she couldn’t help herself. Most days she simply focused on doing the best job that she could. Customers would come and go until they had all become one big blur by the end of her shift. But there was something interesting about Kokoro. Even half asleep she had an undeniable charm to her. Undine sighed wistfully as she idly wondered what Kokoro must have been like when she’d gotten a good night’s rest.</p><p>“Yo!” Bud said from behind.</p><p>“Eep!” Undine squeaked, practically leaping out of her skin. She spun around to face Bud and tried to get her heartbeat back under control.</p><p>“If you’re done window shopping, your new girlfriend’s coffee is ready,” Bud said as she finished writing Kokoro’s name on a cup with a marker.</p><p>“She…! My…!” Undine sputtered.</p><p>“That’s what they all say,” Bud quipped. She pressed the hot cup into Undine’s hand and wandered off.</p><p>Undine let out a furious breath, but she quickly forced herself to calm down. Leave it to Bud to take things in entirely the wrong way. Bud had an unhealthy preoccupation with claiming that any two random people she saw talking to each other were secretly dating. Undine realized now that it had only been a matter of time before Bud had assumed the same about her.</p><p>Undine walked over to the side counter and set the coffee down on it. “Kokoro!” she called out.</p><p>Kokoro stood and came back up to the counter. “Thanks again!” she said, reaching for her coffee.</p><p>“You’re very welcome,” Undine said with a smile. But just as Kokoro whisked her coffee away, Undine caught a glimpse of a trio of cutesy hearts and a smiley face that Bud had added next to Kokoro’s name on the cup.</p><p>Panic immediately gripped Undine. She reached her hand out as if she could stop what was happening, but Kokoro was already halfway back to her table. Undine watched with rapt attention as Kokoro sat down, still unaware of Bud’s addition to her cup. Kokoro sniffed at the unfamiliar beverage. Then she brought the cup to her lips and hesitantly took a sip. At first nothing happened, but then her whole face brightened up. She immediately took a much larger drink, seemingly oblivious to how hot the coffee must have been. Then she looked directly at Undine and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.</p><p>Undine sheepishly waved back at Kokoro. Several long seconds passed as she waited for Kokoro to notice Bud’s prank, but it continued to evade Kokoro’s notice. Just as Undine dared to let out a sigh of relief, she saw Kokoro’s eyes slide down to the cup. After a moment’s delay, a surprised look crossed her face, followed by a sly grin.</p><p>“Bud…” Undine said. It was too quiet to be a wail of despair, but it conveyed the same emotion nonetheless. Undine wasn’t exactly sure how to interpret Kokoro’s grin, but she assumed the worst.</p><p>Bud must have heard Undine because she said, “You’d better go tell her that it’s all just a crazy misunderstanding.”</p><p>Undine turned to where Bud was working alongside the silent Zack. “Bud!” she said.</p><p>“Go on, Boss. It’s a slow morning,” Bud said. She clapped a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Me and Zack can handle things for a while. Right, buddy?”</p><p>Zack jumped slightly at the physical contact. He glanced up for a moment before turning back to his work. “Yeah…” he said, managing to look very uncomfortable.</p><p>Undine pointed a finger at Bud. “No bullying Zack!” she said.</p><p>Undine hesitated, but then she turned back around and walked out from behind the counter. She didn’t want to give Bud the satisfaction, but she needed to go explain to Kokoro what had happened. She was also secretly pleased she’d get the opportunity to talk with Kokoro some more, but that had no bearing on the situation. At least that’s what she told herself.</p><p>Out in the lobby, Kokoro was still seated at her table. She seemed to be much more awake now. When she saw Undine approaching, she said, “Hey, Curls! This stuff is great!”</p><p>“I’m glad you like it,” Undine said, surprised that the first words out of Kokoro’s mouth weren’t about the hearts and smiley face. “My name is Undine, by the way.”</p><p>“Undine. That’s a cool name,” Kokoro said. She gave Undine a wink.</p><p>“T-thank you,” Undine said, blushing a little. She suddenly wasn’t so sure what she should do. Kokoro didn’t seem to be upset by Bud’s prank. Maybe she hadn’t actually noticed it after all. Rather than risk pointing it out to Kokoro, Undine said, “If you have a lot of late nights ahead of you, coffee will certainly help.”</p><p>“I’ll have to make this a regular thing then,” Kokoro said.</p><p>“I’d like that,” Undine said. She’d meant to keep it to herself, but she realized too late that she’d said it out loud.</p><p>Kokoro’s only response to the errant comment was to take another drink of her coffee and give Undine a none too subtle once-over. Undine felt herself start to sweat a little. Somehow their conversation had veered dangerously close to flirting. She tried to think of something to say that would push things in a more sensible direction, but as she fumbled for words, all she managed to blurt out was, “I like your hair!”</p><p>Undine immediately felt like slapping herself. Now it really did sound like she was flirting. She could only hope and pray that Bud wasn’t listening in. But to Undine’s surprise, Kokoro seemed strangely bashful about the compliment.</p><p>“Oh! Thanks!” Kokoro said. “It’s not too…pink is it?”</p><p>“It looks nice,” Undine said. “I guess I don’t really know you, but the color seems to suit you.”</p><p>“You really think so?” Kokoro asked.</p><p>“Of course!” Undine said.</p><p>A look of relief flashed across Kokoro’s face. It was quickly replaced by one of confidence. “Yeah! You’re right!” she said. “I guess I just worry too much about…stuff.”</p><p>Undine quietly chuckled. It hadn’t escaped her notice how evasive Kokoro was being about the recent circumstances of her life. She didn’t mind—it was none of her business after all—but she had gotten the impression that Kokoro was ordinarily a very open and straightforward person. It was rather endearing.</p><p>The door chime suddenly sounded. Undine glanced over her shoulder and saw several customers walking in. The morning rush had officially begun. “I’ve got to get back to work,” she said. “But it was nice to meet you.”</p><p>“You too,” Kokoro said.</p><p>Undine turned back toward the counter. As she walked away, she heard Kokoro mutter to herself, “Undine,” like she was trying very hard to commit an important fact to memory. For some reason the soft sound sent a warm feeling washing over Undine. She reluctantly admitted to herself that maybe Bud hadn’t been completely off base with her prank. She’d never tell Bud that of course. If she did, she’d never hear the end of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So yes. Zack is actually Zoe. And yes, that means the narration is misgendering her. Before you get too mad at me, trust that I have a plan. It’s not guaranteed to be a good plan, mind you, but it is a plan. As I’m sure you noticed, I’ve also adjusted the ages of the characters. It makes the story flow a little smoother having Undine and Kokoro be adults.</p><p>I’ve never actually been to a coffee shop right when it opens. That would require me to wake up far too early.  So I have no idea if it’s realistic for just one customer to show up right at opening time. For all I know, there would be a line around the block. It probably depends on the location.</p><p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Regular Thing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m telling you, I’ve got it all mapped out,” Bud said as she pulled out another stack of disposable cups from a box to restock the front counter. “All the attacks are happening within walking distance of each other. Well…maybe running distance.”</p>
<p>Undine was only half paying attention to Bud. It was a brand-new day at the Sunbucks, and she was going about her morning routine, making sure the coffee shop was ready to open. “At least no one’s been hurt,” she said</p>
<p>“So far,” Bud said. “And they don’t really talk about this part much on the news, but there always seems to be this pink something-or-other that keeps showing up and…”</p>
<p>Bud continued to babble on, but Undine had completely stopped listening. As far as she was concerned, Bud was doing the verbal equivalent of pinning pictures all over a wall and connecting them with string. It was a bit odd for Bud. As nosey as she was, she didn’t usually buy into outlandish stories. At least not ones that didn’t involve the possibility of two people secretly being in a relationship. Undine supposed it was harmless enough, but she hoped Bud would move on to something else sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>“Uh…Boss? Boss!” Bud said, startling Undine.</p>
<p>“Yes!?” Undine said. Her focus snapped back to Bud. She was a little embarrassed to get caught not paying attention.</p>
<p>“Looks like your girlfriend’s here,” Bud said, pointing to the front door with her thumb.</p>
<p>“She’s not my girlfriend!” Undine said. The retort had become a reflex for her at this point thanks to Bud’s constant teasing. Although that didn’t make it any less true.</p>
<p>“If you say so,” Bud said. “I’ll get her coffee ready.”</p>
<p>Undine wanted to repeat her insistence that Kokoro was not her girlfriend, but she’d learned the hard way not to take the bait. She glanced over toward the shop’s front door. Sure enough, she saw a familiar face outside the window. Ever since the day that Kokoro had first wandered into the shop, she’d returned each and every morning without fail, always a few minutes before opening time.</p>
<p>Undine had quickly gotten into the habit of letting Kokoro into the Sunbucks early. It was a bit unorthodox, but it wasn’t strictly against the rules—Undine had checked—and it gave them a little bit of time to talk before the morning rush. Undine would never admit it, at least not with Bud in the room, but Kokoro had become the highlight of her mornings. It had actually gotten to the point that she missed not getting to see Kokoro on her days off. That seemed silly to her. She hadn’t even known Kokoro for two whole weeks yet. But Undine couldn’t deny how she felt.</p>
<p>Walking out from behind the counter, Undine started heading toward the door. She saw that Kokoro wasn’t alone. Zack was waiting outside too. Kokoro was talking to him, and judging by her animated face and the wild gestures she was making, she must have been telling him quite a tale. Undine hoped that Kokoro wasn’t scaring poor Zack, but to her surprise, Zack seemed to be listening attentively. He was even making eye contact.</p>
<p>Undine pulled her keys out of her apron pocket and unlocked the door. She opened it up in time to see Kokoro nod to Zack and say, “Just like that! Easy as pie!”</p>
<p>Zack looked mystified, but he said, “Thanks…Miss Kokoro.” Then he turned toward the open door and wandered into the shop. As he passed by Undine, he muttered, “Good morning….”</p>
<p>“Good morning, Zack,” Undine said in reply.</p>
<p>Once Zack had disappeared inside, Kokoro said, “Shy kid.”</p>
<p>“I worry about him sometimes,” Undine admitted. “I’m surprised he even spoke with you. What were you talking about?”</p>
<p>“Oh. Well he asked me if anyone’s ever made fun of me. You know, because of the pink hair and…” Kokoro glanced down at her hand, “…tattoo?”</p>
<p>“Surely no one would do that!” Undine said. “It’s not like we’re in high school anymore.”</p>
<p>“Some folks would, I’m sure,” Kokoro said with a shrug. “I told him it’s all about confidence!”</p>
<p>Undine smiled. Kokoro certainly was a lot more confident than when they’d first met. She’d lost the baseball cap almost immediately and stopped perpetually shoving her hands into her pockets. She still had her sunglasses on today, but that was probably because it was a sunny morning. Undine would have liked to think that she’d had something to do with Kokoro’s confidence boost, but she doubted it. Even on the day they’d met, she could tell that Kokoro was the irrepressible type.</p>
<p>“Come on inside and you can tell me more,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Sure thing!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro walked back into the shop. Undine locked the door behind her. She turned to face Kokoro again and immediately exclaimed, “Aaa! Kokoro! What happened!?”</p>
<p>Kokoro had taken off her sunglasses, revealing that her left eye was badly bruised and almost swollen shut. “Oh shit! Is it that noticeable?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Of course it is!” Undine said. She pointed at a nearby table. “Go sit down! I’m going to get a bag of ice!”</p>
<p>“You really don’t need—” Kokoro said, but she was cut off by Undine pushing her in the direction of the table.</p>
<p>“Sit!” Undine commanded.</p>
<p>Once Undine was satisfied that Kokoro was listening to her, she marched over to the front counter. Bud was already filling a plastic bag full of ice. Undine was pleased to see that Bud could use her nosy nature for good sometimes.</p>
<p>Bud handed the bag to Undine. “Coffee’s brewing,” she said. “I’ll bring it out when it’s ready.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Undine said. She took the bag and walked over to where Kokoro had sat down.</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” Kokoro insisted. “I heal fast. It’ll be better in a couple of hours.”</p>
<p>“Hush,” Undine said. She pressed the bag of ice to Kokoro’s swollen eye. Kokoro flinched a little, but she didn’t otherwise complain.</p>
<p>After a few minutes had passed, Undine said, “Can I ask how it happened?”</p>
<p>“Uh…. I got into a fight,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“And you’re not hurt anywhere else?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“No. Honest,” Kokoro said. “I’m fine. Really!”</p>
<p>Undine wanted to pry further, but she decided not to. Unfortunately, she couldn’t keep herself from wondering again about the mysterious activities that were keeping Kokoro up so late each night. She’d learned pretty quickly that Kokoro absolutely did not want to talk about it, but the questions still lingered. And now with the black eye and the mention of a fight, Undine’s imagination began to conjure up all kinds of unpleasant possibilities.</p>
<p>Kokoro lifted her hand to take hold of the bag of ice. Her fingers lightly brushed against Undine’s, causing a fluttering sensation in Undine’s stomach. Undine immediately blushed, embarrassed by her strong reaction to such slight contact.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Kokoro said, holding onto the bag by herself now.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” Undine said. She reluctantly let go. She sat down at the table as well, trying to set aside her worries about what Kokoro might be doing at night. Searching for another topic of conversation, she said, “I’ve never asked. But what do you do, uh…during the day? Do you have a job?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I guess we’ve never talked about that,” Kokoro said. “I’m a personal trainer! I work at a gym. It’s not too far from here, actually.”</p>
<p>Undine quietly laughed.</p>
<p>“What?” Kokoro asked. “Did I say something funny?”</p>
<p>“No, no,” Undine said. “It’s just…that’s very you. It must be an interesting job.”</p>
<p>“It has its ups and downs,” Kokoro said. “But it gets me a free gym membership, so I can use all the fancy equipment whenever I’m not working. They even have an indoor track and a full-size pool!”</p>
<p>“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be a very good client of yours,” Undine said. “I haven’t lifted a single weight in my entire life.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Kokoro said. There was suddenly a gleam of excitement in her eye. “You should definitely come by then! You don’t even have to lift weights if you don’t want. There are plenty of ways to get fit. Working with first-timers is the best! I love that moment when they really start to get it!”</p>
<p>“Maybe I will try it out sometime,” Undine said, although she had no idea why. Starting a workout regimen sounded like her own personal nightmare. But Kokoro’s enthusiasm was infectious. For a brief moment, Undine wondered if it would really be so bad.</p>
<p>“I mean, no pressure. But you should!” Kokoro said. “So how about you? I know you’re the assistant manager around here. Is that just a for now thing? Or are you sticking around until you run the place?”</p>
<p>“Some days it feels like I do run this place,” Undine said. “Arthur, he’s the manager, has a habit of leaving things to me. But…yeah. I think I’d like to be the manager one day. I know it sounds silly for my life’s goal to be running a coffee shop, but I really like it here.”</p>
<p>“It’s not silly at all,” Kokoro said. “Maybe you should skip the wait and just open your own place instead.”</p>
<p>Undine had never considered that possibility before. She knew that running a coffee shop and owning one had to be worlds apart. But now that the idea had been planted in her head, it sounded intriguing—terrifying but intriguing.</p>
<p>“Maybe someday,” Undine said.</p>
<p>It was then that Bud walked up, holding a cup in her hand. “One coffee,” she said as she placed it down on the table in front of Kokoro.</p>
<p>“Thanks!” Kokoro said. She set her bag of ice down. Undine was relieved to see that a lot of the swelling had already gone down.</p>
<p>Kokoro grabbed her cup and took a sip. Then she let out a satisfied, “Ahhh.”</p>
<p>Rather than head back to the front counter, Bud stood there for a moment. She seemed to be scrutinizing Kokoro, although her face was as impossible to read as ever. Then, out of the blue, she said to Kokoro, “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the recent string of monster attacks, would you?”</p>
<p>“Bud…” Undine said with a sigh. But to her surprise, Kokoro suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Her lips pressed together and sweat started beading on her forehead. She looked for all the world like a kid who had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar.</p>
<p>“Ah-ha!” Bud said, pointing an accusing finger at Kokoro. “So you do know something.”</p>
<p>“Bud, there are no monsters,” Undine said. “It’s just wild dogs or some other kind of animal.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Bud said. “But what do <em>you</em> think, Kokoro?”</p>
<p>“Well, uh…. That is…” Kokoro stammered.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a quiet voice said, “Um….”</p>
<p>Everyone turned and saw Zack standing there. He seemed to be on the verge of passing out from nervousness, but he looked at Bud and said, “Please leave Miss Kokoro alone. She’s just here to drink coffee.”</p>
<p>Undine was glad that she was sitting down. She never thought she’d see the day that Zack would stand up to anybody. Even Bud managed to look nonplussed, which was equally astounding.</p>
<p>“Alright. You got me,” Bud said, lifting her hands in surrender. She briefly turned back to Kokoro. “But if you do want to come clean, you know where to find me.”</p>
<p>Bud wandered off back toward the front counter.</p>
<p>“See?” Kokoro said to Zack. “Easy as pie!”</p>
<p>Zack didn’t respond. Instead he scurried away like a frightened mouse.</p>
<p>“Wow,” Undine whispered. She didn’t know what she felt more, proud of Zack or impressed by Kokoro. Either way, today had been a momentous day.</p>
<p>“Uh…all that aside…” Kokoro said, scratching the back of her neck.</p>
<p>Undine turned back to Kokoro, but when she did, she caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. It was a full minute past six!</p>
<p>“Ah!” Undine said, hastily standing up. “Sorry! I’ve got to get the shop open!”</p>
<p>“O-okay!” Kokoro said. “Uh…do you have a pen?”</p>
<p>“Here,” Undine said. She pulled a pen out of her apron pocket without thinking about why Kokoro might need it and tossed it onto the table. Then she quickly rushed off.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>In what felt like no time at all, the first wave of the morning rush was over. There were at least a dozen people in the lobby now, and many more had come and gone. Undine was getting her bearings again amidst the familiar buzz of overlapping conversations, making sure that she was prepared for the next round of customers.</p>
<p>Kokoro walked up to the front counter. Undine was surprised that she was still there. She usually left after she’d finished with her coffee.</p>
<p>“Thanks for the pen,” Kokoro said, setting it and a business card down on the counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Or sooner if you’d like.”</p>
<p>Before Undine could ask what that had meant, Kokoro was already gone. Undine picked up the card that Kokoro had left behind. It read, “Kokoro Aichi, Personal Trainer”. On it, Kokoro had sketched a simple but nonetheless impressive drawing of herself giving a thumbs-up.</p>
<p>Undine smiled. She couldn’t believe it, but she was actually considering going to a gym. Although she knew it had nothing to do with wanting to exercise and everything to do with Kokoro herself.</p>
<p>Undine was about to tuck the card safely away into her pocket when she idly flipped it over. To her surprise, there was another drawing of Kokoro on the back. This one depicted her winking, and next to the sketch was a phone number, a personal phone number by the looks of it.</p>
<p>Undine’s eyebrows shot up, and her cheeks flushed. She was certain that she was misinterpreting things, but the longer she stared at the sketch of Kokoro the more it looked like it was winking suggestively. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but an attraction to Kokoro had been slowly growing inside of her ever since they’d first met. She hadn’t paid much attention to it because she’d never considered the possibility that Kokoro might feel the same way. But now she was forced to re-evaluate those assumptions.</p>
<p>The rest of the world seemed to disappear as Undine stood there, paralyzed by a drawing and a phone number. Now what was she supposed to do?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It seems that Bud’s channeling a little bit of Rue in this story. Maybe they’re friends in this universe? That would be an interesting (and dangerous) combo.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Her</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Undine leaned against the front counter for support as she let out a weary breath. She was that special kind of tired; the kind that could only come from working an especially busy shift at Sunbucks. Fortunately, she was almost done for the day. The morning rush was long over. Lunchtime had come and gone. And soon she’d be clocking out and heading for home.</p>
<p>After quickly reviewing a mental checklist, Undine decided that there was nothing else she needed to do to make sure the shop was ready for the next supervisor to take over. That was fine by her. Today she wouldn’t mind simply coasting to the end of her shift.</p>
<p>Undine slipped her hand into her pocket. Hidden inside was the business card that Kokoro had given her yesterday. Undine’s fingers idly ran along the card’s edge. Much to her chagrin, she hadn’t worked up the courage to actually call Kokoro yet. She’d certainly wanted to, but that would mean confronting the reality of the situation. And while it seemed pretty obvious what Kokoro wanted, Undine’s heart had been broken more than once in the past by her own foolish optimism.</p>
<p>Perhaps Undine wouldn’t have felt so bad about not calling if Kokoro had been less gracious about it. Kokoro had been to the shop that morning, the same as always. She’d been her usual cheerful self, especially after drinking some coffee, and she hadn’t said one word about phone calls or lack thereof. Undine didn’t think she deserved such magnanimity.</p>
<p>The ringing of the door chime interrupted Undine’s brooding thoughts. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and put on her best polite smile. It seemed there would be at least one more customer for her to serve before the day was over.</p>
<p>“Welcome!” Undine said. “How can…I….”</p>
<p>There wasn’t anything in particular about the tall, lanky woman who had just walked in that had caused Undine to trail off. Rather it was a whole lot of little things. Her posture was just a bit too rigid and forced. Her eyes never blinked as they fixated on whatever she was looking at. Her gaze was absolutely piercing. And her mouth was locked into a perpetual, toothy grin without a hint of warmth to it. Her hair, which was styled into an unnaturally flawless hime cut, was black, but when the light hit it just right there was a purple sheen to it. There was even something unsettling about the plain, purple sundress that she was wearing, although Undine couldn’t put her finger on exactly what. She would later realize that the dress didn’t have any visible seams or stitching. It just appeared to be a single piece of cloth.</p>
<p>The woman stalked up to the counter, never losing her creepy smile. Undine quickly collected herself. The woman’s unsettling appearance was no excuse for bad customer service.</p>
<p>“Welcome!” Undine repeated. “How can I help you?”</p>
<p>The woman didn’t respond. At first Undine thought that she might need a minute to study the menu, but the woman’s unwavering stare wasn’t focused on the menu boards. Her eyes were locked directly onto Undine. Somehow, Undine resisted the urge to squirm uncomfortably.</p>
<p>After several long seconds, Undine started to ask, “Do you need some—?”</p>
<p>The woman finally spoke with a cold, raspy voice. “I don’t drink coffee,” she said.</p>
<p>“That’s…perfectly alright,” Undine said. “We have plenty of other items available.”</p>
<p>The woman’s head cocked to the side, although the motion looked more like a crude imitation of the actual human gesture. “I’m looking for something that’s not on the menu,” she said.</p>
<p>“Um…” Undine said. “I know people on the Internet will claim otherwise, but we don’t actually have a secret menu.”</p>
<p>The woman let out a low and humorless laugh. Then she said, “Miss Aichi. I’m looking for Miss Aichi. A little birdie told me that she comes here often.”</p>
<p>“You’re looking for Kokoro?” Undine blurted out in surprise. She immediately realized that she shouldn’t have said anything.</p>
<p>“So she does come here,” the woman said. “I might have known.”</p>
<p>Undine was more confused now than ever, but she was also rapidly running out of patience for this strange woman. “Ma’am,” she said in what she hoped was an authoritative tone. “If you’re not going to order anything then I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”</p>
<p>The woman just stood there stock-still for a moment. Then she slammed both of her hands down onto the counter and jerked forward, leaning in far too close to Undine.</p>
<p>Undine’s heart leaped up into her throat, but she managed to not reel back in fear.</p>
<p>“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Miss Wells,” the woman said, practically spitting out each word.</p>
<p>“H-how do you know my last name?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“If you’re smart, you’ll run away. Far away,” the woman said, ignoring Undine’s question. “After all. We wouldn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to you.”</p>
<p>“Ma’am,” Undine said, trying to keep her voice steady. “You need to leave. Otherwise I’ll have to call the police.”</p>
<p>The woman continued to stand there with her face still uncomfortably close to Undine’s. Then her eyes suddenly shifted, and Undine heard a gasp come from behind her.</p>
<p>Undine glanced over her shoulder. Zack was standing there not too far away. He was caught in the woman’s gaze and literally quaking with fear.</p>
<p>“Oh. I see,” the woman said.</p>
<p>Undine turned back to face the woman who had finally taken her hands off the counter and backed off a bit.</p>
<p>The woman said, “All three eggs in the same basket. Typical.”</p>
<p>“Ma’am. Please leave,” Undine said.</p>
<p>The woman’s grin got even wider, if that was possible. “Remember,” she said. “You were warned.” Then she turned around and walked out of the shop.</p>
<p>Undine stared at the front door for a full minute, worried that the woman might suddenly reappear. Once she was satisfied that the woman really was gone, she allowed herself to relax a little. She briefly surveyed the shop’s lobby. Some of the other customers were glancing in her direction. They’d clearly taken an interest in the commotion, but their attention soon returned to their drinks.</p>
<p>Undine turned to Zack. The poor boy looked like he was about to cry. Undine knew he didn’t deal with customers well, and that strange woman had been a real doozy. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.</p>
<p>Zack silently nodded.</p>
<p>“If you want to go home, that would be alright,” Undine said. His shift was just about over anyway, but Undine would’ve made him the same offer even if that hadn’t been the case.</p>
<p>Zack nodded again. Then he walked over to the register so that he could clock out.</p>
<p>“Just call tomorrow if you don’t feel up to coming in,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Thank you…” Zack said. Soon, he was out the front door and presumably headed for home.</p>
<p>Undine’s hand went back into her pocket, and she pulled out her phone. At first she thought that she should call the police, but she wasn’t exactly sure what she would tell them. Her next thought was that she should call Kokoro and warn her about the strange woman, but she worried that Kokoro might get upset that it had taken the actions of some stranger to get her to call. Gripped by indecision, she stood there with her phone in her hand.</p>
<p>Undine had just about resolved to put her phone away when it suddenly started buzzing. Surprised, she looked at it. The name “Arthur Clark” was on the screen. Undine couldn’t imagine why the manager was calling her, but she supposed she should find out what he needed.</p>
<p>Undine hit a button on her phone and lifted it to her ear. “Hello?” she said.</p>
<p>“Oh, Undine!” Arthur said. “It’s a disaster!”</p>
<p>Arthur’s panic was strangely comforting to Undine. It meant that everything was normal. She asked, “What’s happened?”</p>
<p>“Most of today’s night shift quit on me!” Arthur said. “I don’t have anyone to close!”</p>
<p>Undine started walking toward the manager’s office where all the employee contact information was kept. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. She knew what to do. “I’ll make some phone calls and see who can come in,” she said.</p>
<p>“That would be fantastic, but…” Arthur said.</p>
<p>Undine had a pretty good idea what Arthur was about to say. “You need me to work tonight too?” she guessed.</p>
<p>“Please!” Arthur begged. “I’ll spend the rest of the day rearranging the schedule, but I don’t have anyone else to supervise! I promise it will only be the one night!”</p>
<p>“That’s going to give me overtime this week,” Undine said. “Isn’t that against company policy?”</p>
<p>“Let me worry about company policy,” Arthur said. “If the suits at corporate don’t want you to work some overtime then they can come down from on high and cover your shift themselves!”</p>
<p>Despite the less than ideal situation, Undine smiled. For all his bumbling, it was nice that Arthur had always sided with his employees over the company’s demands. Undine couldn’t imagine that it had won him any points with his bosses, but she was grateful nonetheless. She said, “I can work the last two hours tonight. Just to make sure all the closing duties get done.”</p>
<p>“Oh thank you, Undine!” Arthur said. “And make sure you’re clocked in for all of it! I’ll see to it that you get your overtime pay.”</p>
<p>Undine heard a click as Arthur hung up. She lowered her phone and stepped inside the tiny phone booth of a manager’s office. She let out a sigh. It seemed today wasn’t over quite yet. But before she started calling people to see who would be willing to work an extra shift, there was someone else she needed to talk to first. She pulled out Kokoro’s business card and punched the number on the back into her phone.</p>
<p>The phone rang several times, and to Undine’s chagrin, it eventually went to voice mail. A recording said, “It’s Kokoro. Leave a message.” Then there was a beep.</p>
<p>“Kokoro? It’s Undine. I just met someone strange here at the Sunbucks. She said she was looking for you, and she didn’t sound friendly. And she knew my last name somehow! I’m worried about you. I don’t know who she is, but please keep an eye out. She was…dressed in purple.” Undine faltered when that was the only description she could give. Her confidence quickly waned. “Sorry to bother you! That’s all!”</p>
<p>Undine hastily ended the call. Then she tried to push the strange woman out of her thoughts. She had more important things to worry about now, like trying to cobble together a night shift.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>The Sun had set by the time that Undine opened the back door to the Sunbucks. She pushed out a shopping cart that was filled with empty cardboard boxes all stacked on top of each other. The coffee shop was now closed, and mercifully, the evening shift had been thoroughly uneventful. All that was left to do tonight was get everything cleaned up and put away.</p>
<p>Undine rolled her cart all the way over to the dumpster out in the parking lot. She pulled a box cutter out from her apron pocket. Then she started breaking down the boxes and tossing them into the dumpster one by one. Ordinarily this would’ve been a job for one of the other employees, but after such a long day, Undine had decided to reward herself with a mindless, repetitive task.</p>
<p>Undine was about halfway through her stack of boxes when a rustling sound caught her attention. She paused and looked over at the bushes that lined the edge of the parking lot. She thought the sound had come from that direction, but there was nothing to see.</p>
<p>After a moment or two, Undine turned back to her boxes. She figured the sound must have been a figment of her imagination. She was really tired after all; especially since she’d essentially worked from open to close today.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the rustling returned, sounding louder and closer. Undine’s head snapped up. She knew she hadn’t imagined it this time. Fear started niggling at her. She told herself that she was overreacting, but that didn’t reassure her much.</p>
<p>A bush not that far away from Undine started visibly shaking. At first Undine thought, or rather hoped, that it must have been the wind, but the night air was perfectly still. She focused on the bush, although it was hard to see clearly in the darkness. In fact, it seemed too dark outside. It hadn’t been that long since the Sun had set. It was almost like an unnatural gloom was smothering what little light there was.</p>
<p>The bush shook again, more violently this time. It was clear that there was something inside of it.</p>
<p>“Hello?” Undine hesitantly called out. “Is someone there?”</p>
<p>A snarling sound came from the bush, and its leaves began to part.</p>
<p>Undine inched away from her cart, slowly backing up in the direction of the Sunbucks. Her grip tightened on her box cutter. “Hello?” she called out again.</p>
<p>A dark form emerged from the foliage. Undine froze. She’d been worried that some sort of wild animal or perhaps even a mugger had been hiding in the bush, but she’d been wrong. She’d been very wrong. And now she was looking at an honest-to-goodness monster.</p>
<p>The monster started shuffling toward Undine. It looked a bit like a hyena, except it was much taller and only walked on its hind legs. Its forelegs drooped almost to the ground and ended in spindly claws that vaguely resembled fingers. It was jet black in color, and several stripes of white, red, and yellow decorated its body. A nasty, guttural growl rumbled in its throat.</p>
<p>“S-stay back!” Undine said, brandishing her box cutter.</p>
<p>The monster continued to advance ever so slowly. It lifted one of its thin forearms and reached out toward Undine. For a moment, Undine thought she could keep her distance, but then the creature crouched on its hind legs and suddenly lunged forward.</p>
<p>Undine screamed and flailed her box cutter wildly about. The blade managed to nick the monster’s outstretched foreleg, causing it to yip in pain. It momentarily pulled back.</p>
<p>Undine’s heart was pounding in her chest. She was just barely keeping herself from surrendering to utter panic. She wanted to run, but her legs felt like they were rooted to the spot. She lifted her box cutter again to defend herself, but then something even stranger happened. A blue-colored energy engulfed the box cutter like a flame, causing it to glow.</p>
<p>“Aaa!” Undine shouted, dropping the box cutter in alarm. The glowing energy instantly dissipated, and the tool clattered uselessly to the ground. Undine clutched her hand, worried that she might have been burned, but she didn’t feel any pain at all.</p>
<p>The monster suddenly let out an angry roar, startling Undine out of her fear-induced stupor. She realized that she needed to get out of there right away. She turned on her heels and started running toward the Sunbucks.</p>
<p>The monster set after its prey immediately. Undine could hear the panting sounds it was making getting closer and closer as it narrowed the gap, but the back door to the Sunbucks was just ahead.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the monster pushed off its hind legs and jumped high into the air. It came crashing down directly in between Undine and the door.</p>
<p>Undine scrabbled to a stop. The creature swiped at her, missing the tip of her nose by a hair’s breadth. Out of options and with no time to think, Undine picked a random direction and took off in a dead sprint.</p>
<p>It was so dark now that Undine could barely see a thing. Even the lights that were supposed to illuminate the parking lot were doing very little to ward off whatever supernatural gloom had swallowed the night. But Undine continued to charge forward blindly. Unfortunately, she was no athlete. It wasn’t long before her legs were aching, and her lungs were burning. She could hear the creature chasing after her, drawing nearer by the second.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Undine tripped. She never saw what it was that her foot had collided with. She just tumbled to the ground and found herself sprawled out on top of a sidewalk, facedown against the concrete. She quickly rolled over onto her back, but before she could scramble to her feet, she saw the monster leap for her.</p>
<p>Undine threw her arm up in a feeble attempt to protect herself and shut her eyes. She was convinced that this was the end. However, the creature’s claws did not sink into her flesh like she feared they would. Instead there was a clang, followed by the sound of blunt objects colliding and water gushing.</p>
<p>After a few breathless moments, Undine slowly lowered her arm. The monster was still there, but its foreleg was pressed against its face in apparent pain. There was some kind of metal cap lying on the ground next to it. Undine was very confused, but then she felt a growing puddle of water wet her pant leg. She looked to her side and saw a fire hydrant spraying water onto the sidewalk. Apparently one of its caps had come loose and smacked the monster in the head.</p>
<p>The monster let out a fearsome howl and pounded the ground with its forelegs. Then it looked directly at Undine. Too late Undine realized that she should have been using the opportunity to escape. She scampered backwards, but she couldn’t seem to get back on her feet.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a voice shouted, “Hey! Ugly!”</p>
<p>A glowing, pink something crashed down onto the monster like a meteor and slammed the creature headfirst into the sidewalk.</p>
<p>Undine had to shield her eyes from the bright flash of light. When she could look again, she saw a tall woman in a wild outfit pummeling the monster with her fists, all but literally kicking the creature to the curb.</p>
<p>Undine’s mouth hung open in stunned silence. The woman was wearing a dress with a poofy skirt and a long scarf that seemed to flit about like it had a life of its own. She also had on gauntlets of some kind, shoulder pads, and Undine thought she could even see a chest plate shaped like a heart. The entire outfit was pink, white, and purple, which matched the woman’s pink hair perfectly.</p>
<p>The woman pulled her fist back again, and when she let it fly, a glowing pink heart made out of pure energy erupted from it, impaling the monster. The creature let out a wail of pain, and then it exploded into a haze of inky blackness.</p>
<p>What was left of the monster quickly dissipated, and with it, the gloom that had been making the dark night even darker vanished as well. The woman turned to face Undine. She was wearing a pink domino mask, behind which were her crystal blue eyes. “Are you alright?” she asked Undine.</p>
<p>Even in her frazzled state, Undine could tell that the woman was Kokoro. It seemed she finally had her answer. Kokoro spent her nights beating up literal, actually-existing monsters with her very real magic powers, all while occasionally glowing pink and wearing an outfit that wouldn’t have been out of place in a comic book. It was the last straw. Undine was exhausted, her understanding of how reality worked was crumbling, and she was having the mother of all adrenaline crashes. So she closed her eyes and promptly passed out.</p>
<p>Just before the world went black, Undine saw Kokoro rushing over to try to catch her and heard her say, “Whoa! Hey!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You know, I never really appreciated the amazing breadth of monster designs in Sleepless Domain until I had to create one myself. It’s no flying snark, but I kind of like my little addition to the monster taxonomy.</p>
<p>And as for the events in the beginning of this chapter, I think I’ll take a cue from the comic’s alt text and say nothing at all. <em>She</em> doesn’t seem like the kind of person (?) I want to upset.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Magical Morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Undine’s alarm clock buzzed in her ear, rudely interrupting her sleep. She groaned and blindly reached out to turn off the noisy contraption. At first her hand found nothing but the soft fabric of her bedsheets. For some reason her alarm clock didn’t seem to be in its usual spot. For that matter, neither did her nightstand. But after a bit of fumbling, her hand finally came down on something solid.</p>
<p>Undine pressed down several times, but her alarm clock wasn’t turning off. It was then that her sleep-addled brain finally realized that whatever was making all that noise didn’t sound like her alarm clock at all. Her fingers curled around the object that her hand had landed on, and she pulled it toward her. She reluctantly opened her eyes and found herself looking at her ringing phone. Arthur’s name was on the screen.</p>
<p>Running mostly on autopilot, Undine hit the button to answer the call and brought the phone up to her ear. “Hello?” she said, sleepily.</p>
<p>“Undine! Thank goodness!” Arthur said over the phone. “Are you alright?! What happened?!”</p>
<p>“Am I…what?” Undine asked as she struggled to clear the fog out of her head.</p>
<p>“Bud called and told me that you hadn’t shown up to open this morning! And then I called the gals who closed last night and they said that you just suddenly vanished! I had a real talk with them, let me tell you! They should have let me know right away!”</p>
<p>“I didn’t…?” Undine mumbled, but then Arthur’s words finally sunk in. She jolted up in bed. “Wait, what time is it? Am I late?!”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about that,” Arthur said. “Just tell me what happened!”</p>
<p>Memories flooded back into Undine. She recalled the monster and Kokoro and all the other strange things that had happened. “I…I was…attacked,” Undine said, not sure what else to tell Arthur.</p>
<p>“Attacked!?” Arthur exclaimed. “Are you okay!? Do you need to go to the police!? Or the hospital!?”</p>
<p>“No, no. I’m fine,” Undine said. “I’d better get ready for work.”</p>
<p>“Forget about work today,” Arthur said. “We’ve got you covered. I’m at the shop right now. You need to focus on you. Go to the police station and tell them what happened.”</p>
<p>“I…will,” Undine said, but it was a lie. She wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain what she’d seen without sounding crazy. For all she knew, she was crazy.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Arthur said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”</p>
<p>“No. I’m fine,” Undine said. “But thank you.”</p>
<p>“Good, good,” Arthur said. Suddenly, there was a loud noise on his end of the line. If Undine had to guess, it was probably a coffee maker or an espresso machine going haywire. “Oooh. Sorry, Undine! I’ve got to go! Call me if you need anything!”</p>
<p>The call abruptly ended.</p>
<p>Despite everything, Undine chuckled to herself. Arthur’s antics gave her a sense of normalcy that she was sorely lacking right now. She lowered her phone and set it down on the bed.</p>
<p>Undine rubbed the last of the sleep out of her eyes. She noticed that she was still wearing her work shirt. She must have been incredibly tired when she’d gotten back to her apartment last night. At least she’d managed to take off her apron and change out of her pants into some pajama bottoms.</p>
<p>Undine was contemplating what to do about her bizarre experience last night when it suddenly occurred to her that something else was amiss. She didn’t actually own pajama bottoms. And her bedsheets were the wrong color. And now that she thought about it, she couldn’t actually remember returning home last night.</p>
<p>Worry and confusion chased away any lingering drowsiness that Undine might have felt. She slowly lifted her head, fearing what she might see. Sure enough, she was not in her own apartment.</p>
<p>Undine looked around the unfamiliar space, trying very hard to keep herself from panicking. She appeared to be in some kind of studio apartment. There wasn’t much to the place. In addition to the bed and a small nightstand, there was a beanbag chair set up in front of a modest television, a full-length mirror resting against a wall, a rack of free weights shoved into one corner, and a tiny table sitting just beside a kitchenette. That was it. There was nothing else to indicate who might live here or where they were.</p>
<p>Undine did her best to swallow her fear. She told herself that whoever had brought her here wouldn’t have just left her cellphone lying around if they’d had ill intent. In fact, Undine spotted the rest of the content of her pockets from last night sitting on the nightstand on top of her folded-up apron. There was still no sign of her pants, however.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a soft snoring sound prickled Undine’s ears. It must have been coming from very close by. Undine glanced over toward the edge of the bed. She started inching herself in that direction. As she did, a sleeping Kokoro slowly came into view down on the floor. Kokoro had a pillow under her head, a blanket draped over her, and a sleeping calico cat curled up next to her. But she otherwise appeared to have spent the night on the hard floor. Undine couldn’t imagine it had been comfortable.</p>
<p>Undine sat there for a moment, staring. She wanted to be pleased it was Kokoro’s apartment that she’d ended up in and not some stranger’s, but after last night she wasn’t sure she could manage. She had too many questions, the least of which was how she’d gotten here in the first place. She supposed there was only one way she was going to get any answers.</p>
<p>“Kokoro?” Undine asked. “Are you awake?”</p>
<p>Kokoro stirred in her sleep, but all she did was roll over onto her side.</p>
<p>Undine’s lips twisted into a perturbed little frown. She reached down and tapped Kokoro a few times on the shoulder. “Kokoro. Wake up,” she said.</p>
<p>Kokoro snorted. Then she slowly sat up and pried her eyes open. She stared blankly at Undine for a moment before yawning. “Five more minutes,” she muttered and then started to lie back down.</p>
<p>“Kokoro!” Undine said, much louder this time.</p>
<p>“Aaa! What!?” Kokoro said, sitting back up with a start. She stared at Undine again. This time recognition dawned on her face. “Undine? Undine! Are you okay?!”</p>
<p>“Am I okay?” Undine asked incredulously. “Last night…! The monster…! You punched it until it exploded!”</p>
<p>“Uh…yeah. Well you see…” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Don’t tell me that wasn’t you!” Undine said. “The mask doesn’t do anything to disguise you!”</p>
<p>“It looks kind of cool though. Right?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>The cat that had been lying next to Kokoro was finally woken up by all the commotion. It yawned, stretched, and got to its paws. Then it mewed a few times.</p>
<p>Kokoro suddenly seemed to get nervous. “Can you…hear her?” she asked. “Please tell me you can hear her.”</p>
<p>“Can I hear your cat?” Undine asked, confused. “You mean can I hear her meow?”</p>
<p>“Maybe I should explain things,” Kokoro said. “Um…want some coffee?”</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>A few minutes later, Undine was sitting at the table beside the apartment’s kitchenette. Kokoro was over by the microwave, watching it count down to zero. When it dinged, Kokoro opened it up and took out two mugs of hot water. Then she added a packet of instant coffee to each.</p>
<p>“Sorry. All I’ve got is the instant stuff,” Kokoro said as she carried the mugs over to the table. “I bought some for the days you’re not working.”</p>
<p>“You can still go to Sunbucks even when I’m not there,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but…you’re not there,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine felt her cheeks flush. It wasn’t fair that Kokoro could be so charming. Especially not when Undine wasn’t sure if she should be angry with her. And annoyingly, she even managed to look cute in her pajamas with her hair mussed from the night before.</p>
<p>Kokoro set the coffee mugs down on the table and took a seat. “So…uh…” she said. “You’ve probably figured out what keeps me up all night.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure I have,” Undine said. “That was a real monster that I saw?”</p>
<p>“Yup,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“And all those news reports about wild animal attacks,” Undine said. “Those were monsters too?”</p>
<p>“Most of them, probably,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“And the pink something,” Undine said. “That was you all along?”</p>
<p>“The Pink Something? Is that what they’re calling me?” Kokoro asked, dismayed. “That’s a terrible superhero name!”</p>
<p>In spite of herself, Undine chuckled. “What would you like your superhero name to be?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Kokoro said, apparently giving the matter some serious thought. “How about…Heartful Punch!”</p>
<p>Undine shook her head, but there was a smile on her face. The name certainly was fitting given what she remembered of Kokoro’s outfit last night. She said, “So you’re a superhero.”</p>
<p>“Well, magical girl, actually,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Magical…girl?” Undine asked. “You’re an adult. Shouldn’t that be magical woman?”</p>
<p>“That’s what I said!” Kokoro exclaimed. “But apparently not?”</p>
<p>“According to who?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro paused and took a long sip of her coffee. “This part’s going to sound crazy,” she said.</p>
<p>“I was attacked by a real life monster last night,” Undine said. “And you saved me by using your magical powers.”</p>
<p>“Good point,” Kokoro said, scratching the back of her head. “So what happened is about a month ago Kicks started talking to me.”</p>
<p>“Kicks?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“That’s my cat,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, the cat in question started meowing from across the apartment.</p>
<p>“I know!” Kokoro said. “But I can’t pronounce that! You didn’t have a problem with being called ‘Kicks’ when I took you home from the shelter!”</p>
<p>Kicks meowed again.</p>
<p>“You really can’t understand her?” Kokoro asked Undine.</p>
<p>“No. I’m sorry,” Undine said. She wasn’t sure she truly believed Kokoro’s claim of being able to talk to her cat, but she’d certainly seen stranger things last night. Plus she didn’t think Kokoro was the type to pull pranks.</p>
<p>“Anyway. Kicks suddenly starts talking to me, telling me that The Barrier’s been broken, and magical girls are needed again. The next morning I wake up and my hair’s turned pink, and I have this!” Kokoro said. She lifted her hand to draw attention to the pink heart on the back of it.</p>
<p>“That’s not a tattoo then?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“No. Maybe?” Kokoro said. “I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>“But what does the rest of what you said mean?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“You know about as much as I do now,” Kokoro said with a shrug. “Kicks always seems reluctant to actually tell me anything. From what I figure, there’s something called ‘The Barrier’ that holds back those monsters. And now it’s my job to defeat them and eventually seal the thing up again. Somehow.”</p>
<p>“That’s all very…um…strange,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Tell me about it,” Kokoro said, sounding frustrated. “And I don’t know how to find this Barrier or even what it looks like.”</p>
<p>Suddenly, Kicks jumped up onto the table and started meowing at Kokoro.</p>
<p>“What?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>Kicks continued meowing.</p>
<p>“Is…is that a name?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>Kicks’ feline face scrunched up, successfully conveying frustration. Then she meowed some more.</p>
<p>“The…Purple One?” Kokoro asked. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?!”</p>
<p>“Wait a moment,” Undine said, the strange conversation jogging her memory. “That wouldn’t be a person would it?”</p>
<p>“Maybe?” Kokoro said. “Apparently The Purple One—”</p>
<p>Kicks meowed.</p>
<p>“The Purple One!” Kokoro insisted. “Is some kind of leader for the monsters. She’s the one who opened the hole in The Barrier.”</p>
<p>Undine felt a twinge of panic. “Did…did you get the voicemail I sent you yesterday?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Sorry about not calling back. I’m not very good at checking my phone. It was late when I got it. I’m not sure who you were…. Oh. Oh!” Surprise flashed across Kokoro’s face. It was quickly followed by concern. “She was at the Sunbucks!? Did she hurt you!?”</p>
<p>“No,” Undine said. “But I wonder if she’s the reason why that monster showed up to attack me.”</p>
<p>Anger started burning in Kokoro’s eyes, and her hands curled into fists. She said, “If that’s the case, she’s going to regret doing that!”</p>
<p>“It’s alright,” Undine said, and amazingly, it was. “You saved me. Thank you, by the way.”</p>
<p>Kokoro’s fists loosened, and a blush colored her cheeks. “Uh, you’re welcome,” she said. She laughed nervously. “After all, what’s the point of being a magical girl if you can’t save the day?”</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure why Kokoro seemed so flustered, but it was very cute.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a thought struck Undine. “Magical…girls,” she said, pondering out loud.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Kokoro said. “That’s what Kicks told me. ‘The magical girls are needed again.’”</p>
<p>“Girls? Plural?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro was silent for a moment. “Huh,” she said. She turned to her cat. “Kicks? Does that mean—?”</p>
<p>Kicks didn’t even let Kokoro finish before she jumped off the table and started padding away.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Kicks meowed once.</p>
<p>“Don’t give me that!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Kicks meowed again.</p>
<p>Kokoro pouted angrily. She opened her mouth to argue some more before thinking better of it. She turned back to Undine, quickly shifting from mad to embarrassed. “I swear I’m not crazy,” she said.</p>
<p>Undine felt bad for Kokoro. If everything she said was true, and amazingly Undine had no reason to doubt her, she’d been put into a difficult situation. Undine reached out and placed her hand on top of Kokoro’s. “I believe you,” she said.</p>
<p>Kokoro blushed again. “Thanks,” she said. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, but she sounded sincere.</p>
<p>“I do have one more question, though,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Where are my pants?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro turned absolutely beat red. “I…I…I…!” she stammered. Her hands flailed about in a defensive gesture. “They’re hanging up to dry over the bathtub! They were all wet from that fire hydrant! And I wasn’t sure what to do, but I had some extra PJs! I swear I didn’t peek! I had my eyes closed the whole time!”</p>
<p>Undine chuckled. She supposed she would’ve had every right to be mad or creeped out. But Kokoro was just so endearing and non-threatening that Undine didn’t see any reason to be. “Thank you for looking out for me,” she said.</p>
<p>“S-sure!” Kokoro said, calming down a bit. “Anytime.”</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro sat there in silence for a few minutes. Undine took a sip of her coffee. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was more about who she was sharing it with. The circumstances were bizarre to say the least—and Undine was convinced that she’d have some sort of panic attack later after everything had really sunk in—but she realized that she wanted to share more mornings with Kokoro, ones that didn’t involve her having to worry about work.</p>
<p>“Um…” Kokoro said. “Now that I think about it, I probably should’ve taken you to a doctor or something.”</p>
<p>“Probably,” Undine agreed. “Although your…superhero outfit might have caused some commotion.”</p>
<p>Kokoro laughed nervously. “Yeah. I guess it would’ve,” she said.</p>
<p>“It’s something else,” Undine said. “But…it suits you.”</p>
<p>“Really? Oh thank goodness!” Kokoro said, sounding relieved. “I was worried that I was being a huge dork for liking it so much!”</p>
<p>“Not at all!” Undine said. “Did your…cat give it to you somehow?”</p>
<p>“Oh, no,” Kokoro said. “I transform.”</p>
<p>“Transform…?” Undine asked. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“When I need to be a magical girl, I just, like…” Kokoro made an unhelpful sweeping gesture with her hands. “Whoosh! Transform!”</p>
<p>Undine sat there for a moment, trying to parse what Kokoro was telling her. Then she asked, “Can I see?”</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Kokoro said, grinning. She stood up and took a few steps back from the table. Then she brought her right hand up and clenched it into a fist. The heart-shaped mark on it started to glow.</p>
<p>Undine watched in stunned silence as a pink light enveloped Kokoro. Parts of her costume seemed to materialize out of thin air in radiant bursts of heart-shaped energy and form onto her body. The whole process only took a second or two, but for some reason it felt much longer. Soon, Kokoro was standing there in her magical girl outfit, complete with scarf, gauntlets, and mask. She posed with her hands perched confidently on her hips.</p>
<p>“Wow,” Undine whispered, dazzled by the whole display.</p>
<p>“It’s not just the clothes either!” Kokoro said. “I’m a lot stronger and tougher like this. Faster too!”</p>
<p>“Really?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“I mean, it’s not like I’m Superman or anything,” Kokoro said. “But I could sure beat my own deadlift record like this. Here. Watch!”</p>
<p>Before Undine knew what was happening, Kokoro was right beside her. She grabbed Undine’s hand, pulled her out of her chair, and scooped her up into her arms as if she was as light as a feather.</p>
<p>Undine let out a joyous laugh as Kokoro started carrying and spinning her about the apartment. Whether it was Kokoro’s intention or not, Undine felt safe in her arms. She felt cared for. It was wonderful.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hmm. Magical girl transformations work better in a visual medium. I suppose that should come as no surprise at all. Oh well. I should probably mention that I’m not 100% sure what the act of transforming does for a magical girl in the Sleepless Domain universe, besides giving her access to magical powers of course. I feel that it’s implied that Kokoro is stronger when she’s transformed. If I’m wrong…. Well, it’s an alternate universe. I’m allowed to make a few tweaks, right?</p>
<p>Kicks has kind of taken the place of The Golden One in this story. I actually considered having Goldie be Kokoro’s pet instead of Kicks, but I think Kicks works better with the more mundane setting.</p>
<p>Waaait a second. Secret identities. A talking animal. I just realized that I’ve taken Sleepless Domain and turned it into a more traditional magical girl story. That really wasn’t my intention, but here we are. I guess I’ve got to roll with it.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Dose of Courage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Bud asked.</p>
<p>“I’m perfectly fine,” Undine said. It was another morning at Sunbucks, not long until opening time. Undine was standing by one of the coffee makers, watching its pot slowly fill up.</p>
<p>“Sorry I keep asking,” Bud said. “But you seem awfully chipper for someone who got attacked two days ago.”</p>
<p>“Chipper?” Undine echoed. She couldn’t say that Bud was wrong. She supposed it was a bit strange, but strange was rapidly becoming her new normal. Although now she couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with her. She had just learned that monsters were real after all. Was she in denial? Was she suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress?</p>
<p>“Yeah. Chipper,” Bud said. “Things must be going great with your new girlfriend.”</p>
<p>“If you’re referring to Kokoro, she’s not…” Undine trailed off. It was still true that Kokoro was not her girlfriend, but she was beginning to understand just how much she wished that wasn’t the case. Maybe that was why she wasn’t freaking out. Monsters may have been real, but the world had a shining guardian. And Undine really wanted to go on a date with her.</p>
<p>“Boss?” Bud asked.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Undine said. “No. Kokoro’s not my girlfriend.”</p>
<p>The coffee maker beeped. Undine pulled out the pot and poured some coffee into a waiting cup with Kokoro’s name already on it. Then she retrieved a carton of milk from a small refrigerator underneath the counter and carefully added the perfect amount to the cup, just like Kokoro liked it.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh,” Bud said, closely watching Undine work. “So not to keep talking about it, but that guy who attacked you the other day…?”</p>
<p>Undine almost said that it wasn’t a guy, but she realized at the last second that Bud was fishing for exactly that kind of information. Bud still hadn’t given up on the idea that monsters were responsible for all the recent attacks, and it just now occurred to Undine how inconvenient that was. Kokoro had never specifically said that her being a magical girl was a secret, but there must have been a reason that her costume included a mask.</p>
<p>“It’s…he’s been taken care of,” Undine said, trying to not raise Bud’s suspicions.</p>
<p>“If you say so,” Bud said. It didn’t sound like she’d bought it.</p>
<p>Undine sighed internally. Out of all the outlandish theories that Bud could’ve latched onto why did it have to be one that was actually correct? Undine started to formulate a strategy for deflecting Bud’s questions, but when she happened to glance in the direction of the shop’s front door, she saw a pair of familiar faces outside belonging to Kokoro and Zack.</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Undine said to Bud. She grabbed Kokoro’s coffee and headed toward the door, pulling her keys out of her apron pocket along the way.</p>
<p> Undine quickly unlocked the door and opened it up. “Good morning, Kokoro!” she said.</p>
<p>“Heya, Undine!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine was expecting Kokoro to walk right in, but she didn’t. Instead she glanced down at Zack. It was only then that Undine noticed that Zack was looking right at her.</p>
<p>“Good morning to you too, Zack,” Undine said, realizing that she’d been rude to ignore him.</p>
<p>“I…um…” Zack said. “I heard about…what happened…. Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“Yes. I am,” Undine said, surprised that Zack had brought up the subject. “There’s no need to worry.”</p>
<p>“Was it…her?” Zack asked. “The purple lady?”</p>
<p>Undine was taken aback. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Bud wasn’t paying too close attention. Then she stepped fully through the door and let it close behind her. “Yes it was,” she said. “Sort of.”</p>
<p>Fear visibly spread across Zack’s face. “Do you think…she’s going to come back here?” he asked.</p>
<p>“No,” Undine said, not sure why she felt so confident about that. “She knows we’re watching out for her now.”</p>
<p>Kokoro put her hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Besides. I’m on the case!” she said. “I won’t let her hurt anyone.”</p>
<p>Zack looked up at Kokoro. “Is there…? Could I…?” he stammered. Then he said, “Never mind.”</p>
<p>Zack abruptly walked past Undine and let himself into the shop.</p>
<p>When Zack had gone inside, Undine said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say so many words all at once.”</p>
<p>“He was worried about you,” Kokoro said. “So am I, actually. How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“I’m feeling fine,” Undine said. She was starting to get tired of people asking her that.</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“I know I should be feeling…something about what happened,” Undine said. “But knowing that you were there…. Nothing bad could have really happened to me.”</p>
<p>Kokoro’s cheeks flushed. “I-I’m not perfect, you know!” she said.</p>
<p>Undine laughed at how flustered Kokoro was getting. She said, “Well, you did steal my pants.”</p>
<p>Kokoro pouted. “Why’d you have to bring that up again?”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Undine said, still laughing a little. “Consider it forgotten.”</p>
<p>“Anyway!” Kokoro said. “Maybe we should go inside.”</p>
<p>“Oh! Right,” Undine said. She held out the cup in her hand. “Your coffee.”</p>
<p>“Thanks!” Kokoro said, taking the cup.</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro walked back into the Sunbucks. Undine paused just long enough to lock the door again. Then they both headed for the nearest table. As soon as they were seated, Undine asked, “How was last night?”</p>
<p>“Pretty slow, actually. Just a few chumps here and there,” Kokoro said. She held up her fists. “They weren’t a match for lefty and righty.”</p>
<p>“Do you ever get scared out there?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Not really,” Kokoro said with a shrug. “I mean, I was a little…surprised when this all happened, but you get used to it.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think I could ever be that brave,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Don’t be so sure!” Kokoro said. “At least I get to punch my problems. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I had to deal with a difficult customer and had to pretend to be polite.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think that’s quite the same thing,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Maybe not. But…” Kokoro said. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “You said you love working here, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Undine said. “It has its bad days of course, but it’s where I want to be right now.”</p>
<p>“Well, I love being a mag—” Kokoro started to say.</p>
<p>Undine’s eyes went wide with alarm. She lunged forward and put a finger on Kokoro’s lips to silence her. She glanced over toward the front counter. Bud was still there of course. She didn’t appear to be listening in, but Undine knew better.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s eyes flicked down to Undine’s finger before looking up again and silently asking her a question.</p>
<p>Undine gestured with her head as subtly as she could, trying to direct Kokoro’s attention toward Bud.</p>
<p>Kokoro glanced over to the front counter. She looked confused at first, but then understanding dawned on her face.</p>
<p>Undine finally removed her finger from Kokoro’s lips, confident that she’d gotten the message.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Kokoro said softly.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s hand came up and absently brushed against her lips where Undine’s finger had been. She probably wasn’t even aware that she was doing it, but Undine noticed. She tried not to blush.</p>
<p>“Uh…anyway,” Kokoro said, lowering her hand. “I love what I do. Especially if it means I get to save people like you.”</p>
<p>Undine really did blush this time. She was about to say something more when she heard Bud call out, “Yo! Boss!”</p>
<p>Undine glanced at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, it was six o’clock on the dot. She stood. “I have to go back to work,” she said regretfully.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know,” Kokoro said. “But I’ll be here tomorrow!”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Undine said, but she understood now that tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough for her.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>Undine could have sworn that time had passed slower than usual after Kokoro had left. But the afternoon had come, and her shift was finally almost over. She was standing at the front register with her finger poised over the screen and her eyes focused intently on the clock on the wall as its hands crept forward. The instant the minute hand hit twelve, Undine punched out. Moments later she was out the door, barely even bothering to say goodbye to the girls working the afternoon shift.</p>
<p>Once Undine had made it to the parking lot, her hand dipped into her pocket. She pulled out her phone and the business card that Kokoro had given her several days ago. Then she dialed Kokoro’s number. However, once she’d entered the last digit, she hesitated. Her finger hovered over the call button. She knew what she wanted to do, but she was suddenly very afraid.</p>
<p>After agonizing about what to do for far too many minutes, Undine forced herself to hit the call button. She brought her phone to her ear. Her palms were already sweaty, and she only got more nervous as the phone began to ring.</p>
<p>By the time the third ring had passed by unanswered, Undine started hoping that Kokoro wouldn’t pick up, but then there was a click, and the line connected.</p>
<p>“Hello!?” Kokoro’s voice came on. She sounded short of breath and there was a noticeable din in the background. “Undine, is that you?”</p>
<p>“Hello, Kokoro! Yes, it’s me,” Undine said, attempting to remain calm. “What’s all that noise?”</p>
<p>“Sorry. I’m at the gym where I work,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine hadn’t thought about that. She’d become so caught up in the idea of Kokoro being a magical girl that she’d completely forgotten about her day job. “I’m sorry!” she said. “Should I call you back?”</p>
<p>“No, no! I can talk,” Kokoro said. “What did you need?”</p>
<p>“I…um…” Undine realized that this was it. It was time for her to face the truth. She swallowed her fear and said, “I want to go on a date with you!”</p>
<p>Kokoro didn’t immediately respond. All the noise on the other end of the lime suddenly got a lot quieter, like someone had put their hand over the receiver. There was a muffled sound that resembled joyous screaming. Then Undine heard garbled voices speaking.</p>
<p>“What on…are you…about?”</p>
<p>“…asked…date.”</p>
<p>“Don’t…waiting…doofus.”</p>
<p>“Oh…!”</p>
<p>Kokoro’s voice came on the phone again, and she excitedly said, “Yes! Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you!”</p>
<p>“Great!” Undine said, both thrilled and overwhelmed. “Um…who was that you were talking to?”</p>
<p>“Huh? Oh that’s just my friend Harley. Don’t worry about her,” Kokoro said. “So do you want to get dinner tonight? That’s a good dating thing, right?”</p>
<p>“That would be wonderful,” Undine said. She suddenly realized that she hadn’t given a moment’s thought about what to actually do on a date with Kokoro. Fortunately, Kokoro had unwittingly saved her from the embarrassment of admitting that.</p>
<p>“Alright!” Kokoro said. “I know a place!”</p>
<p>There was a sudden noise on Kokoro’s end of the line. It sounded like a third voice, and whoever it belonged to clearly wasn’t happy. “Uh…got to get back to work,” Kokoro said. “I’ll text you the address later! Bye!”</p>
<p>The call suddenly ended. Undine was left standing there feeling bewildered, although not in a bad way. She would never have guessed that Kokoro would be just as excited as she was about going on a date. At least that’s what she hoped had just happened.</p>
<p>Undine lowered her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Then it suddenly hit her. She had successfully asked Kokoro out on a date! A million different worries bombarded her all at once. What should she wear? What if she said the wrong thing tonight? Did Kokoro actually want to date her? What if she was just being polite? Was this even a good idea?</p>
<p>Undine could already tell that the wait for dinner was going to be an agonizing one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I bet Bud would’ve really like to have overheard Undine and Kokoro’s phone call. Sadly for her, she is not all-knowing or all-seeing. Not yet anyway.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Matters of the Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After fretting about it for most of the afternoon, Undine had decided that dressing casual for her date with Kokoro was the way to go. She’d picked out a plaid, short-sleeved blouse and her nicest pair of jeans to wear. Kokoro had texted her directions just like she’d promised, and they’d led Undine to an unfamiliar restaurant. She was standing in front of it now, looking up at the sign which read “Burg Berg”. The sign even featured an anthropomorphic hamburger wearing a pair of lederhosen. Undine wasn’t sure how one made a German-themed burger joint, but she supposed she was about to find out.</p>
<p>Undine walked inside. There was a hostess stationed near the front door who was wearing a green dirndl with an appliqué hamburger on the skirt. If nothing else, the restaurant was very committed to its theme.</p>
<p>“Hello!” the hostess said. “How many in your party?”</p>
<p>“Actually—” Undine started to say.</p>
<p>“Hey! Undine! Over here!” a familiar voice shouted from across the restaurant.</p>
<p>Undine looked in the direction that the voice had come from and saw Kokoro enthusiastically waving at her from a booth.</p>
<p>“Actually, I’m meeting someone,” Undine said, finishing her sentence.</p>
<p>“So I hear,” the hostess said, sounding amused. “You’d better get over there before she starts shouting again.”</p>
<p>“Sorry about that,” Undine said, bowing slightly.</p>
<p>Undine started walking toward the booth. Even from a distance she could see that Kokoro was staring at her with the biggest, goofiest grin on her face. Undine was a little taken aback. She wasn’t used to being the subject of such naked adoration. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve it.</p>
<p>When Undine reached the booth, she slipped into it and sat down. She noticed that Kokoro was wearing a plain black T-shirt. It was a nice shirt, but it was even more casual than what Undine had on. She started to fret for a second that she’d come overdressed, but it was eminently clear that Kokoro wasn’t judging her outfit. And if Kokoro’s expression was anything to go by, this was already the best date she’d ever been on, although Undine didn’t think that could possibly be true.</p>
<p>“Hello, Kokoro,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Kokoro said, still staring at Undine like she was the most interesting thing in the world.</p>
<p>“I’m, um…glad you were willing to go on a date with me,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“Well…I’m not all that interesting,” Undine said. “And you…. You’ve got a lot going on.”</p>
<p>“Who says you’re not interesting?” Kokoro asked. “Besides, you’re the one who helped me get a handle on everything.”</p>
<p>“I…did?” Undine asked. She honestly wasn’t sure what Kokoro was talking about. They’d never discussed anything like that.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Kokoro said. “I was pretty bummed out that day we first met. I felt like I’d suddenly become a different person and that the whole world was staring at me. You know…because of the hair and all that. But you just…accepted me like I was. It got me wondering if maybe I didn’t need to sweat the small stuff.”</p>
<p> “I really helped you that much?” Undine asked. She’d had no idea.</p>
<p>“Of course!” Kokoro said. “I spent a lot of time thinking about it after we met. And you know what? Maybe becoming an M.G. has given me a chance to be who I really am.”</p>
<p>“M.G.?” Undine asked. “Oh, you mean…. Well, I never knew you before that happened. So I guess it is who you’ve always been. To me at least.”</p>
<p>Kokoro gave Undine the biggest smile. It melted her heart a little.</p>
<p>Kokoro said, “Honestly, I’m surprised <em>you’d</em> want to go out with <em>me</em>.”</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t I?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Well….” Kokoro nervously scratched the back of her head. “I’ve been wondering if the reason that monster attacked you was because of me.”</p>
<p>“You mean because I know you?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah. The purple lady did threaten you when she came to the Sunbucks looking for me,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Then it’s her fault, not yours,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I guess so,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“If it makes you feel any better,” Undine said. “I was interested in you even before I knew you were an M.G.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Kokoro asked, sounding surprised.</p>
<p>“Really,” Undine said. “You’re a remarkable person, Kokoro. Sometimes I wish I could be more like you.”</p>
<p>“Eh,” Kokoro said. “I think you should focus on being the best you, rather than trying to be more like someone else.”</p>
<p>Undine chuckled. She said, “That’s probably good advice.”</p>
<p>Before either of them could say anything more, a waitress walked up to the table also wearing a dirndl. Her gaze briefly flicked over to Kokoro’s pink hair before she made polite eye contact. Undine might not have even noticed if she hadn’t just had the conversation she’d shared with Kokoro. She supposed that Kokoro’s hair did make her stand out, but Undine honestly couldn’t imagine her with a more natural color.</p>
<p>“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress asked. “Or do you need another minute.”</p>
<p>Kokoro said to Undine, “I’m ready if you are.”</p>
<p>Undine suddenly realized that she been so wrapped up in talking to Kokoro that she hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. But she didn’t want to be rude, so she said, “Go ahead.”</p>
<p>“I’ll have the all-day omelet,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>The waitress dutifully wrote down Kokoro’s order. Then she looked at Undine.</p>
<p>Undine had been frantically scanning the menu. Fortunately, her eyes landed on something that looked interesting. She said, “I’ll take the bleu cheese burger, please. Without any mayo if that’s possible.”</p>
<p>“Sure thing,” the waitress said. She took the menus from Undine and Kokoro. “I’ll have your orders out when they’re ready.”</p>
<p>The waitress walked off. A comfortable silence settled over the table. Undine looked admiringly at Kokoro. It really was amazing how beautiful she found her, and it wasn’t just her looks. Kokoro was a beautiful person through and through, inside and out. Undine wondered if she should tell Kokoro that. Would it be too forward of her? She’d never really been on a proper date before, and she was quickly coming to understand that she didn’t know what was expected of her.</p>
<p>A few minutes passed before Undine realized that she was doing nothing except stare at Kokoro. She would’ve been content to keep on doing just that, but she didn’t want things to get awkward. “So, um…” she said, looking for a topic of conversation. “Does anyone else know your secret?”</p>
<p>“Nope. Just you,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Not even your parents?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Well, Mom’s dead,” Kokoro said. “And I don’t really talk to my dad anymore. He doesn’t even live around here.”</p>
<p>“Oh! I’m sorry to bring it up!” Undine said, afraid that she’d ruined the date already.</p>
<p>“No, it’s alright,” Kokoro said. “That all happened a long time ago.”</p>
<p>“I’m still sorry to hear it,” Undine said, feeling a little relieved that Kokoro didn’t seem upset. “If I’m the only one that knows your secret identity, does that make me your Lois Lane?”</p>
<p>“Hmm? Oh! Yeah!” Kokoro said. “Well, more like my Lana Lang.”</p>
<p>“Who’s that?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Superman’s other love interest. She knows his secret identity. Lois doesn’t. At least in the cartoons anyway,” Kokoro said. Then she suddenly looked embarrassed and hastily added, “Not that I’m super into that stuff or anything!”</p>
<p>Undine chuckled.</p>
<p>“Okay. I kind of am,” Kokoro admitted.</p>
<p>“So I’m your love interest?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Uh…. I mean we are on a date, so…” Kokoro stammered, clearly embarrassed. But then a serious look crossed her face. “Ah, screw it. I like you, Undine. A lot. So yeah. I know we’re not really there yet, but I would like you to be my love interest.”</p>
<p>Undine was still half-convinced that Kokoro had gone out with her just to be polite, but if she’d needed any evidence to the contrary, there it was. It was overwhelming for her to the point that she actually felt lightheaded, but she managed to say, “I’d like that too.”</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>The Sun was sinking low by the time that Undine and Kokoro walked out of Burg Berg. They both had smiles on their faces.</p>
<p>Kokoro stretched, reaching her arms up high. She said, “That was fun! We should do this again sometime.”</p>
<p>“It was fun,” Undine agreed. “Sorry if I did something wrong. I’m not…. This is a new experience for me. Dating, I mean.”</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Kokoro said. “I haven’t really gone on a date before either.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Undine asked, shocked.</p>
<p>“Nope,” Kokoro said. “Besides, it’s not like there’s some kind of instruction manual you’ve got to follow. You’ve just got to be you!”</p>
<p>“I guess so,” Undine said. She glanced up at the darkening sky. “I suppose you’ll have to get to your second job soon.”</p>
<p>“Yup,” Kokoro said. “But I’ll be at the Sunbucks tomorrow. You can count on it.”</p>
<p>“I’ll have your coffee ready,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Kokoro glanced around. Then she leaned in close to Undine and whispered, “Hey. Want to have some fun real quick?”</p>
<p>“W-what kind of fun?” Undine asked. She suddenly felt overly warm.</p>
<p>Kokoro grabbed Undine’s hand and pulled her deeper into the parking lot, away from the prying eyes of anyone who might be watching.</p>
<p>“Kokoro?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro looked around again, more thoroughly this time. Then she let go of Undine’s hand. In a flash, she transformed.</p>
<p>Undine hadn’t been expecting Kokoro to turn into her magical girl form. She still hadn’t gotten used to it, and if she was being honest with herself, she hoped she never did. It was amazingly delightful to see Kokoro as the hero she truly was.</p>
<p>Kokoro held out her hand and offered Undine a smile.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure what Kokoro was planning on doing, but she trusted her completely. She took Kokoro’s hand.</p>
<p>Kokoro pulled Undine in close and scooped her up into her arms. The next thing Undine knew, Kokoro was running, fast. She barely had time to take it all in before the world seemed to fall away as Kokoro leaped up high into the air. She let out an astonished gasp.</p>
<p>Kokoro landed light as a feather on the nearest rooftop and kept on running. Soon she was bounding from building to building with Undine still in her arms. It wasn’t quite flying, but it was the next best thing.</p>
<p>“This is incredible!” Undine said, marveling as the world whizzed by.</p>
<p>“I know, right?” Kokoro said. “It sure beats driving!”</p>
<p>Undine laughed happily. Kokoro really was amazing. Undine wondered if she’d been the one who’d been made a magical girl how long it would’ve taken her before she would’ve dared try to do something like this. It probably would’ve been months. Kokoro had told her to be the best her she could be, but Undine couldn’t help but wonder if someday she could be a little bit more like Kokoro.</p>
<p>The wind rushed past Undine as Kokoro carried her away at high speed. It was a shame that it would all have to end so soon. Undine would’ve liked to stay with Kokoro a while longer.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p><em>Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!</em> a digitized voice buzzed, interrupting the quiet in Undine’s bedroom.</p>
<p>Undine stirred. Her hand came out from underneath her blankets, and she slapped the top of her alarm clock. The voice stopped.</p>
<p>Undine shifted in bed. The blinds in her room were drawn tight over the window, but she knew it was still dark outside. However, the Sun would be peeking up over the horizon soon enough.</p>
<p>Undine looked bleary-eyed at her clock until the numbers on its display came into focus. Sure enough, it was time for her to get up and get ready for work. She yawned and pushed herself into a sitting position. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood. Then she padded out of her bedroom and wandered into her bathroom. She flipped on the lights, squinting her eyes against the sudden brightness. Then she turned on the faucet and splashed some water onto her face. It was her usual morning routine, nothing odd about it at all. But when she lifted her head and finally looked into the mirror, she stopped dead.</p>
<p>Water continued to run out of the faucet, but Undine had completely forgotten about its existence. She was staring at her own reflection in the mirror with her mouth agape. Her hair was a bright, cyan blue.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A dirndl is a traditional folk dress for German woman, in case you were wondering. It’s usually seen alongside lederhosen. (In American media at least.)</p>
<p>Apparently Kokoro is a bit of a superhero nerd in this universe. I was kind of surprised, but it makes sense to me. Your mileage may vary of course.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Not So Ordinary Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Undine had spent the entire morning on the brink of total, all-consuming panic. Not knowing what else to do, she’d finished getting ready for work and driven to the Sunbucks. Even now she was going about her morning routine, doing what needed to be done to get the coffee shop ready to open. To an outside observer it would have looked like nothing was wrong, but on the inside, Undine was a maelstrom of fear, confusion, and anxiety.</p>
<p>The shock of her hair turning blue had been bad enough for Undine, but just as she’d started to come to grips with the situation, she’d noticed that her eyes had also changed color. They were blue now too, although somewhat fortuitously, they were a dark shade of blue not too dissimilar at a glance to the dark shade of brown that they’d been previously. She doubted that anyone would notice unless they looked closely. At least that was what she’d been telling herself.</p>
<p>Undine was presently alone, but she knew the clock was ticking. Bud would be arriving at any minute, and Undine had no idea what she was going to say to her. There was no way Bud could fail to notice the change to her hair. But the real question was, what would she think about it?</p>
<p>As if on cue, there was a knock at the back door. Undine knew it had to be Bud. She felt her anxiety soar to new heights to the point that she was actually worried she might pass out. She considered simply not letting Bud in, but she quickly dismissed the idea. It would cause more problems than it would solve.</p>
<p>Undine awkwardly shuffled over to the back door. She didn’t really want to have to try to explain things to Bud, but what she wanted didn’t matter right now. She flipped the latch and opened the door. As expected, Bud was waiting on the other side.</p>
<p>Bud yawned and strolled past Undine into the shop. “Morning, Boss,” she said, sounding nonchalant.</p>
<p>Undine stood there, stunned. While she had to admit that she’d probably been overthinking what Bud’s reaction to her new hair color was going to be, she’d still been expecting some kind of comment from her. Her mind started racing at a mile a minute, conjuring up increasingly implausible explanations. Maybe there was some kind of magic keeping Bud from noticing her hair? Undine had to assume that magic was to blame for what had happened to her. But if she was being protected by magic, why hadn’t the same thing happened to Kokoro? It was clear that everyone could see her pink hair. And now that Undine thought about it, she realized that she had no idea what exactly magic was and wasn’t capable of. Her questions were piling up higher by the minute.</p>
<p>“You okay over there, Boss?” Bud asked. “You look like you’re about ready to start hyperventilating.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine!” Undine said, although even she could tell that she didn’t sound fine. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm down, but she didn’t calm down. She couldn’t. Not until she had some answers.</p>
<p>Undine turned to Bud. She hesitantly asked, “About my hair…?” It was risky, but she needed to figure out why Bud hadn’t said anything.</p>
<p>“It looks good,” Bud said. “It’s always cute when couples do stuff like that.”</p>
<p>Undine’s train of thought came to a crashing halt. She genuinely had no idea what Bud was talking about. She asked, “Do what?”</p>
<p>“Make sure they’re coordinated,” Bud said. “Matching outfits usually do the trick, but you really took it to the next level. That blue will look great next to Kokoro’s pink.”</p>
<p>“I…!” Undine said. Now she understood. The reason Bud hadn’t said anything was because she’d wanted to bait her into this exact conversation.</p>
<p>“I know,” Bud said preemptively. “She’s not your girlfriend.”</p>
<p>“She’s not!” Undine said, but then she realized that she wasn’t actually sure about that particular fact anymore. After all, she had just gone on a date with Kokoro yesterday.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, a fresh wave of emotions crashed into Undine. She’d gone on a date with Kokoro yesterday! Her hair turning blue had temporarily pushed it out of her mind, but no longer. Now she was dealing with the excitement and the fear that went with starting a new relationship alongside the panic about the strange things that had happened to her this morning. She felt like she might literally explode if she wasn’t careful.</p>
<p>“Speaking of your girlfriend,” Bud said, glancing in the direction of the front door. “Looks like she’s here.”</p>
<p><em>She’s here.</em> The words echoed in Undine’s head several times before they finally took root. Kokoro was here. Surely she’d know what to do.</p>
<p>Undine resisted the urge to sprint toward the front door. But she did walk over to it faster than was strictly necessary. She pulled out her keys, and after a bit of fumbling, opened the door up.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s smiling face greeted Undine outside. She said, “Good morning, Un—gah!”</p>
<p>Undine just stared at Kokoro, not sure of what to say. She felt her fists clenching.</p>
<p>“But…” Kokoro said. “What? Did…?”</p>
<p>Undine nodded vigorously.</p>
<p>Kokoro stood there with her mouth hanging open. She clearly didn’t know what to say any more than Undine did.</p>
<p>“Um…” a soft voice said. “Are you two…alright?”</p>
<p>Undine looked down and saw Zack glancing back and forth between her and Kokoro. She hadn’t even realized that he’d been standing there.</p>
<p>“Did you dye your—?” Zack started to ask.</p>
<p>Zack was interrupted by Undine shoving him toward the door. She opened it up and pushed him inside. “Go help Bud open! I’ll be right back! Don’t let her push you around!”</p>
<p>“…alright?” Zack said before the door shut again.</p>
<p>Undine didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Kokoro’s hand and pulled her around to the side of the building.</p>
<p>As soon as Undine and Kokoro had some relative privacy, Kokoro said, “Your hair! What happened?!”</p>
<p>“I don’t know!” Undine said. “I woke up, and it was like this!”</p>
<p>Kokoro inexplicably grabbed one of Undine’s hands and then the other, examining them closely.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“I’m looking for a mark,” Kokoro explained. She held up her own hand to show off the pink heart on the back of it. “Like this. Do you have one somewhere?”</p>
<p>Undine nodded. She pointed to her sternum. “Here. It’s a blue, upside-down triangle,” she said. She’d found it when she’d taken a shower this morning.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Kokoro said. “Your eyes are a different color too.”</p>
<p>Undine nodded again.</p>
<p>“Well that settles it,” Kokoro said. “You’re a magical girl.”</p>
<p>“A magical girl!?” Undine exclaimed. “No, that can’t be it! I can’t…! I don’t…!”</p>
<p>“Hey,” Kokoro said. She pulled Undine in close and gave her a big hug.</p>
<p>The affectionate gesture surprised Undine at first. Fortunately, it was enough to keep her from panicking even more than she already was. Soon she wrapped her arms around Kokoro as well, and she hugged her back. It was remarkably comforting being so close to Kokoro. Undine buried her head in the front of Kokoro’s shoulder, not caring what Kokoro might think. Slowly, she felt her anxiety begin to melt away.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure how long she and Kokoro stood there in each other’s arms, but eventually she asked, “Your eyes used to be a different color?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kokoro said. “They changed the same time my hair did.”</p>
<p>Undine finally let go of Kokoro and took a step back. “So you think I’m a magical girl,” she said.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what else would’ve caused all this,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Does that mean I can transform now?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah! You can!” she said. “You should try it!”</p>
<p>“Um…okay,” Undine said. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A moment later, she opened them again. “How do I do that?”</p>
<p>“Oh, uh…” Kokoro said. “Well I usually think about kicking ass. That’s what works for me.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Undine said, although she was skeptical. She closed her eyes again and tried to follow Kokoro’s advice. The problem was that she didn’t really want to kick anything’s ass.</p>
<p>“I don’t think it’s working,” Undine said. She didn’t know what transforming entailed, but she assumed she would’ve felt something if she was on the right track.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Kokoro said, scratching her chin.</p>
<p>“I…I’ve really got to get back to work,” Undine said, opening her eyes again.</p>
<p>“Okay. How about this,” Kokoro said. “Why don’t you come by the gym where I work after you’re done today. They’ve got some rooms we can use for training.”</p>
<p>“Training?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Kokoro said. “You can’t be the best magical girl you can be without some training!”</p>
<p>Despite herself, Undine chuckled. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of training, but Kokoro’s enthusiasm was as infectious as always. She honestly wasn’t convinced that she really was a magical girl, although she didn’t have a better explanation. But if Kokoro was right, what did that mean? What did she want it to mean?</p>
<p>Undine was silent for what felt like a long time. But then she said, “Alright. I’ll come by the gym later.”</p>
<p>“Great!” Kokoro said. “I’ll see you there!”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you going to come in and have your morning coffee?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Kokoro said. “I forgot.”</p>
<p>“Just try to act natural around Bud,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Natural,” Kokoro said. “Riiight.”</p>
<p>Undine sighed. Acting obviously wasn’t one of Kokoro’s strong suits. But with any luck, Bud would assume that they were trying to hide their “secret relationship” rather than anything decidedly more magical. Although the question once again entered Undine’s head: what exactly was her relationship with Kokoro? She especially didn’t know now that it seemed Kokoro was about to become her magical girl mentor.</p>
<p>“Kokoro…?” Undine started to ask, but then she trailed off.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“Never mind,” Undine said.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Training? Training! Kokoro approves!</p>
<p>Now that Kokoro is going to be Undine’s magical girl teacher, feel free to make all the notice-me-senpai jokes you want.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Magical Girl Power Training Club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh. Hello there. No, I’m not dead. Although given what this year’s been like, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that. I had an interesting couple of weeks, but I’m possibly back on track now. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Undine somehow managed to make it through her shift at the Sunbucks without incident. Bud hadn’t made any more comments about her hair, and Zack had been too timid to ask again. Some of the regular customers had given her a curious glance or two, but none of them had actually said anything out loud.</p>
<p>Undine was presently walking into the gym where Kokoro worked. She had no idea how to properly judge the quality of a gym, but the facility certainly looked impressive. The lobby and the main gym floor were all in the same huge, open space, and Undine found herself staring out over rows upon rows of weight lifting machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, and other equipment that she couldn’t quite make sense of. However, what really surprised her was the crowd of people. Everywhere she looked there was someone working out. And between the clanging of weights, the pounding of feet, and the upbeat music being piped in through the speakers overhead, the whole place was awash in noise.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure how she was supposed to find Kokoro. She started walking toward the front desk, hoping that someone there could help her. As she got close, she saw that there was a young woman standing in front of the desk who was chatting up a young man seated behind it. The woman really looked like she belonged there at the gym. Her arms were solid with muscles, and she had on workout clothes, a T-shirt and gym shorts whose dark colors matched her long, black hair.</p>
<p>The woman briefly glanced in Undine’s direction, and when she did her conversation abruptly stopped. She turned to face Undine directly.</p>
<p>“Um, hello?” Undine said to the woman staring at her.</p>
<p>“You must be Undine,” the woman said.</p>
<p>Undine gulped. The woman was only of average height, but she was still more than a little intimidating. Undine wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the woman was capable of picking her up and tossing her out of the gym like a rag doll.</p>
<p>Undine asked, “How do you know who I am?”</p>
<p>“The hair’s kind of a giveaway,” the woman said. For a moment, Undine fretted about what that had meant, but then the woman added, “My name’s Harley, by the way. I’m Kokoro’s friend.”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Undine said, feeling relieved. “It’s a pleasure to meet you then.”</p>
<p>Harley smirked.</p>
<p>“Did I say something wrong?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it,” Harley said, waving dismissively. “Kokoro asked me to keep an eye out for you. Come on. I’ll take you to her.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Undine said, genuinely grateful.</p>
<p>Harley started leading Undine out onto the gym floor. As they walked, she said, “So. You and Kokoro, huh.”</p>
<p>“Um…we’ve been on a date,” Undine said, blushing a little. “But she’s not my girlfriend.”</p>
<p>Harley glanced over her shoulder. “Does she know that?”</p>
<p>“Does…what?” Undine asked, confused.</p>
<p>“You’re all she’s been talking about for weeks,” Harley said. “I probably shouldn’t butt in, but…Kokoro would be your girlfriend in a heartbeat if you asked her.”</p>
<p>“She…would?” Undine said. She didn’t quite believe it.</p>
<p>Harley shrugged. “Like I said. I shouldn’t butt in.”</p>
<p>Harley led Undine all the way to the back of the gym. There they entered a hallway running off of the main floor which was lined with doors. Undine’s best guess was that the doors led to rooms for classes of some sort or another.</p>
<p>Harley stopped in front of one of the doors. Then she turned to Undine and looked at her with a serious expression on her face.</p>
<p>Undine felt herself squirm under Harley’s gaze. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was being scrutinized.</p>
<p>Out of the blue Harley said, “Kokoro’s a good kid.”</p>
<p>“Kid?” Undine mumbled. If she wasn’t mistaken, she, Harley, and Kokoro were all about the same age.</p>
<p>“Make sure you treat her right,” Harley continued.</p>
<p>“I’ll…do my best,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Harley nodded. Then she knocked on the door. There was the brief sound of a commotion on the other side, followed by rapid footsteps. The door abruptly opened, and a very excited-looking Kokoro popped out of it. “Undine!” she exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Hi…Kokoro,” Undine said. She was strangely self-conscious talking to Kokoro with Harley present, especially given her earlier remark about Kokoro’s willingness to be her girlfriend.</p>
<p>As if she could sense Undine’s discomfort, Harley said, “I’ll leave you two to it.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Harley!” Kokoro said. “You’re the best!”</p>
<p>“I know. Just don’t make too much noise. I’m not going to cover for you if people start complaining,” Harley said. Then she started to walk off.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure what Harley had meant by that, but then she looked at Kokoro and saw her blushing deeply. Undine blushed too, retroactively mortified by the implications.</p>
<p>“A-anyway!” Kokoro said. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad you finally got to meet Harley.”</p>
<p>“It sounds like she knows you pretty well,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kokoro said. “We met at this gym right after I moved to town. It was even before I started working here. She’s actually the one who got me this job.”</p>
<p>“Have you considered telling her about…M.G. stuff?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah. But I haven’t. She’d worry too much about me.” Kokoro said, looking somber for a moment. Then she brightened up again. “But I’m not the only M.G. anymore! Come on inside!”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Undine said. She followed Kokoro through the door. The roomed turned out to be a large one with padded mats on the floor and a huge mirror running along the entire length of one wall. There were also several punching bags set up in a row and a few other pieces of padded equipment that looked like they were used in martial arts training.</p>
<p>“Ta-da!” Kokoro said. “I’ve got the room booked for the rest of the afternoon. It’s our very own Magical Girl Power Training Club!”</p>
<p>Undine didn’t feel the great swell of excitement that Kokoro clearly expected her to. Truth be told, she found it a little disconcerting how pleased Kokoro seemed to be about what had happened. But she did at least appreciate the sentiment of what Kokoro was trying to do. She smiled and said, “Thank you for taking the time to help me.”</p>
<p>“Well yeah!” Kokoro said. “Just because I had to figure this stuff out on my own doesn’t mean you should have to.”</p>
<p>“So, um…where do we begin?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“The first step is to get you transformed,” Kokoro said. “Thinking about kicking ass didn’t work. So we’ve got to figure something else out.”</p>
<p>Undine thought about it for a moment. Then she asked, “What are you feeling when you trigger your transformation?”</p>
<p>“Hmm. I’ve never really thought about that,” Kokoro admitted. “Excited, I guess?”</p>
<p>“Excited? Why?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Because…” Kokoro trailed off. A serious look crossed her face.</p>
<p>“Kokoro?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Well, when I first became a magical girl, I was really confused,” Kokoro said. “But…that night I saved you. That’s when it all came together for me. I get to be a hero! It’s not something I thought about before, but now that I’ve been given the chance there isn’t anything else I’d rather do.”</p>
<p>“Wow,” Undine whispered. She hadn’t been prepared for that kind of answer. She’d known that Kokoro liked being a magical girl, but she’d had no idea that she felt so strongly about it. She’d also had no idea that she’d played such a central role in helping Kokoro find her footing. It made Undine feel warm inside.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Kokoro said. “I didn’t mean to get so heavy there.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s okay,” Undine said. “I think I understand now.”</p>
<p>Undine closed her eyes so she could concentrate. She wasn’t sure she could feel the same about being a magical girl as Kokoro did. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to be one. And maybe that was the problem.</p>
<p>After a few minutes of nothing, the sound of Kokoro’s feet shuffling reached Undine’s ears. She tried to not let it distract her. She knew how eager Kokoro must have been to see her transform. The wait was probably killing her, but try as Undine might, she just couldn’t figure out how to make the magic happen.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Undine had an epiphany. Maybe for her it wasn’t about being a hero. Maybe it was about being there for Kokoro. The idea that she could help her out greatly appealed to her. She pushed aside her other thoughts and focused solely on her feelings for Kokoro, on the idea of being with her. Slowly, a calm welled up from deep inside of Undine. It grew and grew until it felt like she was floating weightless in a warm and tranquil ocean.</p>
<p>Kokoro gasped, and suddenly, Undine felt an energy begin to radiate through her.</p>
<p>“You’re doing it!” Kokoro shouted.</p>
<p>For just a moment an electric buzz washed over Undine, inside and out. It passed so quickly that she wondered if she’d simply imagined it, but Undine could tell that something had changed. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a very excited Kokoro grinning at her.</p>
<p>“You did it!” Kokoro said, practically jumping up and down. She pointed at the mirrored wall. “Take a look!”</p>
<p>Undine turned toward the mirror, not sure what to expect. She gasped when she saw herself. She was wearing a dress with a poofy skirt similar to Kokoro’s magical girl outfit. The dress was various shades of blue and white with a bow at the collar and another giant bow on the back. She also had on white opera gloves, a blue domino mask, and another bow in her hair which had been magically styled into tight curls. However, most striking of all were her eyes. Below the mask they were still blue, but her pupils were now glowing pink. The color, Undine noted, matched Kokoro’s hair.</p>
<p>“Is that me?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yup!” Kokoro said. “How do you feel?”</p>
<p>Undine realized that was a good question. She did feel different, although it was difficult for her to describe exactly how. She certainly didn’t feel any stronger, but she did feel more athletic, like she could actually run for a while without growing short of breath. There was also a new sensation tugging on her that she couldn’t place. It was subtle, but it was like she was aware of something running under the floor and overhead. But what that something was, she couldn’t say.</p>
<p>“I feel…good,” Undine said. She took another look at herself in the mirror and did a twirl. Her skirt flared a bit and the tails of the giant bow on her back followed her around. The outfit was unquestionably outrageous, but for the life of her, Undine really liked it. There was just something about its frills and its unapologetic elegance that made her feel like a princess.</p>
<p>Eventually, Undine’s initial shock wore off, and she started to grow self-conscious about admiring her own reflection. “Um…now what?” she asked Kokoro.</p>
<p>“Now we get to training!” Kokoro said. In a flash, she transformed as well. Then she beckoned Undine toward one of the punching bags. “Over here.”</p>
<p>Undine followed until she was standing in front of the bag. Kokoro seemed to be expecting something, but Undine wasn’t sure what. She looked at the bag and then at Kokoro. “Am I…supposed to punch it?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah! Give it a try!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine awkwardly lifted her gloved hand. She had no idea what she was doing, but Kokoro seemed very confident on her behalf. Maybe becoming a magical girl had somehow taught her how to throw a punch? She didn’t think it had, but she was willing to give it a try for Kokoro’s sake. She pulled her fist back and punched.</p>
<p>Undine’s fist hit dead on, but the punching bag hardly even budged.</p>
<p>Undine heard Kokoro suppress a snicker. She said, “I’m sorry. That wasn’t very good.”</p>
<p>“Hey, that’s why we’re here,” Kokoro said. “I guess they don’t teach punching at Sunbucks.”</p>
<p>“That wasn’t covered in the training, no,” Undine said. “It’s probably for the best.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll teach you!” Kokoro said. She stepped in front of Undine and grabbed her hand. Then she started molding it into the proper form. “Fingers in tight. Wrap the thumb around. Just like that!”</p>
<p>Undine felt herself blushing at the physical contact. And when Kokoro stepped around behind her and put her hands on her hips, Undine’s cheeks glowed bright red.</p>
<p>Kokoro said, “Widen your stance a little. That’s right. Now make sure to turn your hips when you punch.”</p>
<p>Kokoro continued teaching Undine for the better part of an hour. A few things surprised Undine. The first was that she was able to pay attention at all with Kokoro so physically close. The second was that she did seem to be improving. And the third was that her hand wasn’t sore at all despite all the punches she’d thrown. She clearly was tougher now that she’d transformed, although she wasn’t in any kind of rush to test just how much tougher.</p>
<p>“Yeah! Good one!” Kokoro said as Undine threw yet another punch. “Now for the fun part. We’re going to add a little magic.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Well if you really want to fight like a magical girl, you need to do…this!” Kokoro said. She took a swing at the bag, and at the same time, a heart-shaped blast of pink energy erupted from her fist. The bag lurched violently backward, and its chains creaked in protest.</p>
<p>“Aaa!” Undine shouted.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Kokoro said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”</p>
<p>“It’s…it’s okay,” Undine said. “But you really expect me to be able to do that?”</p>
<p>“Well not exactly that,” Kokoro said. “You’ll probably shoot out blue triangles or something.”</p>
<p>“Blue…?” Undine asked, mystified.</p>
<p>“That’s what you said your symbol is, right?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“Oh. Yes, that was it,” Undine said. “But I don’t even know how to begin to use magic.”</p>
<p>“That’s why I’m here to help you, silly,” Kokoro said. She stepped in close, took hold of both of Undine’s hands, and looked her in the eyes.</p>
<p>Undine felt herself blushing yet again. It was starting to get annoying just how often she was doing that.</p>
<p>“Close your eyes,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine did so reluctantly. She’d been enjoying looking at Kokoro while they were so close together.</p>
<p>“You remember what it felt like when you first transformed?” Kokoro asked. “That buzzing feeling?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“That was magic,” Kokoro said. “You have to make yourself feel that again.”</p>
<p>“A-alright,” Undine said. She concentrated. It took her several minutes, but eventually she started to feel something. It was a tiny sensation, buried deep down in her core, but with a great deal of effort, she started to coax it out.</p>
<p>“Yeah. That’s it,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine kept at it until she was buzzing all over.</p>
<p>“You got it!” Kokoro said. She let go of Undine and said, “Open your eyes!”</p>
<p>Undine did so. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were covered in a wafting, blue energy. And when she glanced over at the mirror, she realized that it wasn’t just her hands. Her whole body was glowing.</p>
<p>“Now go punch that bag!” Kokoro said. “With magic!”</p>
<p>Undine walked over to the bag. She got into the proper stance like Kokoro had shown her. Then she curled her fingers into a fist, cocked her hand back, and gave the bag her best shot.</p>
<p>Nothing much happened. Undine’s punch had actually been a pretty good one, for her at least, but no triangles had burst into existence. The blue glow quietly faded from her body.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Kokoro said. She didn’t sound upset, but she did sound disappointed.</p>
<p>“I must have done something wrong,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“No, I was watching,” Kokoro said. “Maybe your powers are different from mine.”</p>
<p>“If that’s the case, how are we ever going to figure them out?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“There’s nothing like a little on the job training,” Kokoro suggested. “We’ll have plenty of chances to try things out tonight when we go monster hunting.”</p>
<p>“When…? We!?” Undine exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Kokoro said. “We’re both magical girls now.”</p>
<p>“But…! But…! I…!” Undine stammered. Somehow she hadn’t quite made the connection that the purpose of a magical girl, like herself now, was to fight monsters. According to Kokoro’s cat anyway. All of a sudden in her mind she was back in the Sunbucks’ parking lot at night, facing that horrible creature. Only this time there was no Kokoro to protect her. She finally felt that panic attack she’d been expecting to have rushing toward her at full force.</p>
<p>“Undine? What’s wrong?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?!” Undine exclaimed. “You want me to go out tonight and fight literal monsters!”</p>
<p>“Oh…. Oh, shit,” Kokoro said as understanding dawned on her face. “Undine, I’m so sorry. I just assumed….”</p>
<p>Words apparently failed Kokoro because she walked over and gave Undine a big hug.</p>
<p>Undine sank into Kokoro’s arms. At least there she still felt safe. But there was a whole world beyond Kokoro’s embrace, filled with dark creatures ready to prey upon her.</p>
<p>Kokoro finally spoke again. “I assumed this was something you wanted,” she said. “I should’ve realized…. This whole training club thing was a dumb idea. Just forget it.”</p>
<p>“No. It’s not. I…” Undine started. She closed her eyes for a moment.</p>
<p>Undine remembered the end of her date with Kokoro where she’d wondered if she could ever be a little bit more like her, brave and strong. It seemed that this had been her chance, and she’d failed. But she also remembered what had allowed her to transform in the first place, the thought that she could help Kokoro out. She still wanted that, but now the reality of the situation was staring her in the face. Yet Undine felt a resolve building inside of her. Was she really one to turn away when the universe was offering her a chance to make a wish come true?</p>
<p>Undine opened her eyes and looked up at Kokoro. “I’ll do it,” she said.</p>
<p>“Huh?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“I’ll do it,” Undine repeated. “I’ll help you fight the monsters.”</p>
<p>“But…” Kokoro said. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger just because you think you have to.”</p>
<p>“And what about you?” Undine asked. “You’re out there every night. But you don’t have to be on your own anymore. You can…. We can be out there together.”</p>
<p>Kokoro looked mystified. “Alright,” she whispered.</p>
<p>Undine stood there in Kokoro’s arms, staring into her eyes. In that moment she wanted to kiss Kokoro so badly that it hurt. But she didn’t. It seemed she wasn’t that brave just yet.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I should probably point out that Harley does not have magical girl hair. And I’m also guessing at what her natural hair color is. If you’re reading this in the future and canon has shown her to have brown hair or something…um…it’s an alternate universe?</p>
<p>And I should also probably address the pink in Undine’s eyes. I debated whether or not her eyes should just stay blue when she transforms, but I decided to keep the pink because…. Well that would be a spoiler. Let’s just say I have a reason and an explanation. You’ll have to keep reading to find out what they are.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Ten p.m. One Extraordinary Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Of all the things that Undine had imagined she might do one day, climbing up a ladder to the roof of a sandwich shop in the middle of the night had not been one of them. Yet there she was, a few rungs below Kokoro following her up the side of a building. The climb was already making her feel a little winded, but she hoped that was a problem that would go away when she transformed. If she was able to transform again that was.</p>
<p>Up ahead of Undine, Kokoro vanished over the lip of the roof. Undine continued to climb, and when she reached the top of the ladder she found Kokoro waiting to offer her a helping hand. She took Kokoro’s hand and let her pull her the rest of the way up.</p>
<p>“So, um…” Undine said, rubbing her palms together to get rid of some of the dirt that had been clinging to the rungs of the ladder. “Do you always start the night up on this roof?”</p>
<p>“Usually, yeah,” Kokoro said. “The monsters always seem to appear around this area, and it’s easier to spot them when you’re up high.”</p>
<p>“This isn’t that far away from where I work,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Huh. Yeah, I guess it’s not,” Kokoro said. “Probably just a coincidence.”</p>
<p>“Probably,” Undine agreed.</p>
<p>Kokoro pulled her phone out of her pocket. She turned on the screen just long enough to check the time. “Almost ten o’clock,” she said.</p>
<p>“Is that when the monsters come out?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kokoro said, putting away her phone. “No idea why though. We’d better suit up.”</p>
<p>Kokoro raised her fist. A pink glow emanated from it, and in a flash, she transformed. She looked at Undine with an expectant smile.</p>
<p>Undine closed her eyes. She tried to remember what she’d been feeling the first, and so far only time she’d transformed. She focused on her desire to be with Kokoro and to help her out. It took some effort on her part, but soon a tingling sensation swept over her.</p>
<p>Undine opened her eyes. There wasn’t a mirror nearby this time, but when she looked down, she saw that her hands were gloved. She also felt refreshed. Just like she’d hoped, transforming had washed away her exertion from climbing the ladder.</p>
<p>“Nice job!” Kokoro said. “Looks like you’re getting the hang of it already.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Undine said. She looked out from the rooftop. It was an exceptionally dark night. It had been overcast all afternoon, and the clouds were still hanging in the sky, blotting out the moonlight.</p>
<p>“How do we—” Undine started to ask, but she cut herself off when a new and unpleasant sensation hit her. It wasn’t painful per se, but it did feel like a headache about to come on. Undine did her best to ignore it and finished her question. “How do we find the monsters?”</p>
<p>“Sounds like you’ve got the answer already,” Kokoro said. “You feel it? It’s kind of like a muscle cramp without the pain?”</p>
<p>“Yes. I think so,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“That’s the monsters you’re sensing,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“But where are they?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Focus. Really focus,” Kokoro said. “Sometimes it helps to turn your head a little.”</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t sure she liked having this new supernatural sense, but she supposed there was nothing she could do about it. She followed Kokoro’s advice, slowly turning her head from one side to the other. She could feel the uncomfortable sensation shifting slightly as she did so, like it was being pulled in a particular direction.</p>
<p>Undine lifted her hand and pointed. “That way?” she asked.</p>
<p>“You got it!” Kokoro said. “See? You’re a natural.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Well there’s only one way to find out. Let’s get going!” Kokoro said. She jogged up to the edge of the roof and beckoned for Undine to follow. Then she jumped off, presumably landing on the ground below.</p>
<p>Undine hesitantly walked over to the edge. She saw Kokoro waiting for her down below. Kokoro was gesturing in an encouraging manner, but Undine just stood there. It was at least a twenty foot drop to the ground with nothing to break her fall but hard concrete. Transformed or not, jumping didn’t seem like a good idea. Undine nodded no to Kokoro.</p>
<p>After a few awkward minutes, Kokoro finally seemed to figure out that Undine wasn’t going to take the plunge. She backpedaled a few steps. Then she ran forward and leaped all the way back up to the roof.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” Kokoro asked the moment she’d landed.</p>
<p>“My powers aren’t like yours,” Undine said. “I can’t just go leaping off of buildings.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Right,” Kokoro said. She stood there in quiet contemplation for a moment. Then she pumped a fist into her open hand. “I’ve got an idea.”</p>
<p>Kokoro got down on one knee and put her hands behind her back. “Hop on!” she said, offering Undine a piggyback ride.</p>
<p>“A-are you sure?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah! Why not?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine was hesitant, but she climbed onto Kokoro’s back. Kokoro immediately stood and took a leap off the roof. Undine’s heart slammed into her throat as they both plummeted toward the ground. She grabbed on tight to Kokoro. As soon as Kokoro’s feet touched down, she sprinted away from the sandwich shop and jumped up to another nearby rooftop. Undine held on for dear life.</p>
<p>Once it had become apparent that Kokoro wasn’t going to accidentally drop her, Undine started to relax just a little. It was true that she’d done something like this before, but this time she wasn’t safe and secure in Kokoro’s arms. And on top of that, her new monster sense was telling her unequivocally that she and Kokoro were heading into danger. Undine’s nervousness started to grow.</p>
<p>Kokoro eventually came to a stop on another rooftop. She let Undine down off her back.</p>
<p>“W—?” Undine began to ask.</p>
<p>“Shh!” Kokoro said, bringing a finger up to her lips. She started tiptoeing toward the edge of the roof. Undine silently followed. Once they had reached the edge, Kokoro whispered, “There they are.”</p>
<p>Undine looked down, but she already knew what she would see. She could literally feel it. There was an alleyway of sorts below, albeit a wide one, formed by the walls of the surrounding buildings. And skittering about in the darkness were monsters. There were at least three of them from what Undine could tell. They were shaped a bit like crabs except they had ten legs, no claws, and a pair of bulbous eyes protruding from their bodies. They were also much larger than ordinary crabs, about the size of huskies. Their lack of claws didn’t make them any less threatening. Their legs looked plenty dangerous all on their own. Each one was jagged and ended in a sharp point.</p>
<p>“You stay up here,” Kokoro whispered. “I’ll take care of these chumps.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Undine whispered back.</p>
<p>“Trust me,” Kokoro whispered. She gave Undine a wink.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Undine whispered.</p>
<p>Kokoro stood there for a second, studying her foes. Then her legs coiled beneath her, and she jumped high into the air. She twisted around mid-flight, doing a backflip of sorts, and started plummeting toward the monsters fist-first.</p>
<p>Undine watched in stunned awe as Kokoro’s fist plowed into one of the crab-like creatures. Simultaneously, a huge, heart-shaped burst of energy erupted from her hand. It momentarily lit up the alley as bright as day and obliterated the monster that she’d struck. The other two creatures were blown off their legs by the blast and flung several feet back.</p>
<p>Kokoro didn’t waste a second. She quickly found her footing and started running headlong toward her next target. The poor monster never stood a chance. Before it could even right itself, Kokoro’s fists were laying into it, and a solid hook from her, accented by a flash of pink, turned the creature into a puff of smoke.</p>
<p>By now the third and final monster had gotten back on its legs. It was already scurrying toward Kokoro at top speed. Kokoro didn’t rush to meet her opponent this time. She simply cocked her fist back and threw a punch into empty space. The phantom blow sent a brightly glowing heart streaking through the air like a bullet. An instant later, the heart sliced clean through the monster, splitting it neatly in two. The creature’s halves both collapsed, and they rapidly disintegrated into nothing.</p>
<p>“Wow,” Undine said. She felt like she’d just witnessed a master at work.</p>
<p>Kokoro looked up in Undine’s direction and gave her a smile and a big thumbs-up.</p>
<p>Undine was about to return Kokoro’s thumbs-up when she suddenly shouted, “Look out!”</p>
<p>Kokoro turned. A dozen more crab-like monsters were skittering out of the darkness and coming directly for her.</p>
<p>“Oh-ho!” Kokoro said, raising her fists again. “Looks like somebody really wants to play tonight.”</p>
<p>Undine watched with equal parts awe and dread as Kokoro began laying into the small horde. In some ways she was glad that she was up on the roof, safely away from the action. But in other ways she was disappointed that she couldn’t help Kokoro out. If only she knew how her powers worked.</p>
<p>After Undine had left the gym earlier today, she’d spent the rest of the afternoon furiously searching the Internet for what an upside-down triangle might symbolize. She’d been hoping to gain some insight about her powers, but she hadn’t narrowed things down much. The Internet had told her that an upside-down triangle was a Wiccan symbol, an ancient symbol for womanhood, an alchemical symbol from the time of Aristotle, and one particularly shady-looking website had ranted on and on about something called the “Shadow Illuminati”.</p>
<p>Down below, Kokoro’s fist collided with yet another crab-like monster, turning it into smoke. Much to Undine’s relief, the creatures’ numbers seemed to be thinning out now. For her part, Kokoro looked like she was having the time of her life.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Undine felt a drop of water land on her head, followed by a few more. She looked up just in time for the sky to open up and the rain to start pouring down.</p>
<p>Undine sighed. Of course it would have to rain tonight. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any shelter up there on the roof, and Undine’s dress quickly became soaked with water. She was contemplating if there might be some way for her to add a jacket to her magical girl outfit when a strange thing happened. All of a sudden, the veil of the night was pulled away as she became aware of each and every droplet of water surrounding her. It was as if they’d all become connected to her in a way she didn’t understand. It should have been an utterly overwhelming experience, but it wasn’t. It was like her mind had been expanded.</p>
<p>Undine stood there, her mouth hanging open, trying to make sense of what was happening to her. Then she remembered. An upside-down triangle was the alchemical symbol for water.</p>
<p>“Alchemical. Water,” Undine said. The words hung in the air.</p>
<p>On a hunch, Undine lifted her hand, holding it at chest height with her palm pointed upward. With nothing more than an act of will, she caused some of the rain droplets to spontaneously change direction and gather in her hand until she was holding a sphere of water about the size of a softball. Then, just as easily, she released it, and the water splashed down onto the roof like nothing odd had happened at all.</p>
<p>Undine started to laugh. She could control water! Not only that, it was easy. It was like this was what she’d been born to do. And with the rain falling all around her she could sense everything by perceiving where the water wasn’t. Without looking, she could feel the silhouette of Kokoro punching the last few crab-like monsters into dust. She could feel the outline of the buildings and the lay of the alleyway. She could even feel various forms and shapes that would have otherwise been invisible in the darkness.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, one of the shapes Undine was sensing began to move, and quickly. It was heading straight for Kokoro.</p>
<p>Undine’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “Kokoro!” she shouted.</p>
<p>Kokoro had just put her fist through the last of the crab-like monsters. Her head jerked up just in time. A new monster crashed into the alley with the force of a freight train. It was running on all fours and looked vaguely like a wild boar except bigger and with far more vicious tusks.</p>
<p>Kokoro leaped out of the way of the charging monster. The creature missed her by mere inches. However, she wasn’t out of danger yet. She’d had to dodge so hastily that she was still off balance when the monster wheeled around and charged again.</p>
<p>Undine watched helplessly as the monster smashed into Kokoro with its tusks. Kokoro went flying, and her body slammed into one of the alley’s brick walls.</p>
<p>“No!” Undine shouted. She immediately ran to the very edge of the roof. Then, without giving it a second thought, she jumped off.</p>
<p>Droplets of water began to collect at Undine’s feet as she fell. They formed a kind of standing wave beneath her, and she surfed it the rest of the way down, landing lightly on the ground.</p>
<p>The monster turned its large head to face Undine, and it tramped its feet menacingly.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t afraid. There would be time for that later. She pulled both of her hands back and then threw them forward. For a brief second the falling rain stopped dead in midair. Then the droplets flung themselves sideways. As they flew toward the monster, they coalesced into a huge torrent of water that crashed into the beast like a roaring tidal wave.</p>
<p>The creature was swept off its feet, and the wave carried it away until it smashed into a wall. However, the monster wasn’t done yet. As the water flowed away from its body, it got back to its feet frighteningly quickly. It let out a bestial roar and began charging for Undine.</p>
<p>Undine stood her ground, staring the monster down. She stomped her foot, and a geyser of water spontaneously formed underneath the creature. It wasn’t powerful enough to blast the monster into the air, but it did knock the charging beast off its feet. The monster’s momentum carried it forward, causing its body to skid along the concrete.</p>
<p>Undine wasn’t done. She held up her hands. The rain once again changed directions. It began gathering around the monster, lifting it off the ground. Soon the creature was floating in a giant bubble of water.</p>
<p>The creature struggled mightily against its watery bonds. Undine could feel it kicking and thrashing. She could also feel the strain it was putting on her power. She had to start really concentrating to keep the monster in place. She realized that she might have made a mistake. Letting the monster go seemed like a bad idea, but it was taking everything she had to keep it from escaping. She was stuck.</p>
<p>“Undine!” a voice shouted. “Hold that thing there!”</p>
<p>Undine risked glancing in the voice’s direction. She was overjoyed to see Kokoro back on her feet.</p>
<p>“Got it!” Undine said to Kokoro.</p>
<p>Kokoro squeezed her hand into a fist. She seemed to concentrate. Then she started charging toward the entrapped monster, letting out a war cry.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s fist began to glow brightly, brighter than Undine had ever seen. And when Kokoro reached the monster, she let fly with a mighty punch. Pink energy blasted out from her hand. There was a sound like an explosion as the raw energy ripped through the monster. A good portion of Undine’s water bubble was flash boiled into steam, and Undine herself had to take a step back as the shock wave from Kokoro’s punch hit her. What little remained of her bubble splashed to the ground as she involuntarily released it from her control, and what little remained of the monster evaporated away.</p>
<p>Kokoro stood there, her hair and clothes drenched from the rain. She was breathing heavily, but she looked like she was otherwise alright. Undine stared, transfixed by the sight of her. Then she started walking forward, one step at a time. She felt like she was in a trance, being drawn to Kokoro by some invisible force.</p>
<p>Undine stopped in front of Kokoro. They both looked at each other. Emotions were swirling in Kokoro’s eyes, mirrored by the maelstrom of feelings that Undine felt raging inside herself. Undine started to inch even closer.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, Undine’s head snapped toward the far end of the alley.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>Thanks to the rain, Undine could sense a human figure standing just out of sight, apparently watching her and Kokoro. She couldn’t see who it was, but she knew they were there.</p>
<p>“Hello? Who’s out there?!” Undine asked the darkness.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the figure seemed to merge into the wall. Then there was nothing. Whoever it had been had simply vanished.</p>
<p>“What?” Undine said, perplexed. She was convinced that she must have misinterpreted what had just happened. After all, people didn’t just melt into solid brick.</p>
<p>“Undine, is—?” Kokoro started to ask.</p>
<p>Kokoro was interrupted by the scurrying sound of dozens and dozens of legs. A fresh swarm of crab-like monsters emerged from the open end of the alley. They were heading directly for Undine and Kokoro.</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro looked at each other. They both knew what they needed to do. Without a word they threw themselves at the swarm of monsters. Kokoro lashed out with punches, kicks, and blasts of energy, and Undine slung water every which way, wielding it like a hammer.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long at all before the last monster had vanished into nothingness. The not-quite headache that Undine had been feeling vanished as well. She’d actually gotten used to it remarkably quickly, but now that it was gone, it was conspicuous by its absence. Undine presumed its disappearance meant that there were no more monsters to destroy tonight.</p>
<p>The rain continued to fall. Undine and Kokoro once again turned to face each other. Undine knew that she would be processing everything that had happened tonight for a long time. She had both questions and answers that would demand her attention, but all of that was a concern for later. Right now she knew what was important, and more to the point, she knew what she wanted.</p>
<p>Undine stepped in close to Kokoro. Then, without any hesitation, she planted a kiss on Kokoro’s lips. Kokoro must have known what Undine had been about to do because she kissed her back without a moment’s hesitation. They both pressed in close as their arms wrapped around each other.</p>
<p>Undine’s head was spinning as she lost herself in Kokoro’s lips. She was thrilled. She was terrified. And she was unquestionably in love.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Before you go googling it, the Shadow Illuminati don’t exist, even in the realm of conspiracy theories. Or maybe that’s just what they want you to think! Either way, “Shadow Illuminati” is a delightfully contradictory name, seeing as “Illuminati” means “enlightened”.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Sleepless Refrain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A finger prodded Undine’s cheek. It was a gentle poke, but it might as well have been a firecracker going off in her ear for the effect it had on her. Her eyes flew open, and her head shot up. She was confused at first, but then she remembered that she was at work. She’d apparently fallen asleep leaning against the front register.</p>
<p>“You okay there, Boss?” a voice asked.</p>
<p>Undine turned and saw Bud standing next to her.</p>
<p>“Yes. Yes I’m fine,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Bud looked unconvinced. “You sure about that?” she asked. “Maybe you should go home and get some sleep.”</p>
<p>“No. I’ll just…” Undine glanced over at the clock on the wall. She’d been all but certain that it was near the end of her shift, but to her surprise, it was only a little past ten.</p>
<p>Undine hadn’t slept a wink last night. By the time her first foray into the world of battling monsters had come to an end, it had already been time for her to get ready for work. At least the morning had been a normal one. Kokoro had even come by for her cup of coffee, although Undine could hardly remember what they’d talked about.</p>
<p>“You’ll just…?” Bud prompted.</p>
<p>“I’ll just…” Undine started again, but she trailed off for a second time. She simply wasn’t awake enough to come up with any kind of coherent response.</p>
<p>“Um…” a small voice said.</p>
<p>Undine and Bud both turned and saw Zack standing there.</p>
<p>“I think…. I think Bud’s right,” Zack said to Undine. “You should go home…and go to bed.”</p>
<p>Undine was too tired to feel dumbfounded, but the blank expression on her face as she stared at Zack conveyed much the same effect.</p>
<p>After a moment’s pause, Bud said, “Well you heard him. If Zack’s telling you to do something, you’d better do it.”</p>
<p>Undine looked back and forth between her two coworkers. “But…” she said.</p>
<p>“No buts!” Bud said.</p>
<p>“But lunch is—” Undine said.</p>
<p>“No buts!” Bud repeated. “I’ll work the front. Zack’ll work the back. Right, buddy?”</p>
<p>Zack nodded resolutely.</p>
<p>“I…” Undine said. Then she hung her head in surrender. “Alright.”</p>
<p>“I knew you’d listen to reason,” Bud said. “Now get out of here and go to bed.”</p>
<p>Undine nodded. She turned to the register and started punching out. If she’d been more awake, she undoubtedly would’ve been pleased that Bud and Zack were so willing to help her out. But as it was, she was having trouble concentrating enough to push the correct buttons.</p>
<p>Once Undine was done fiddling with the register, she turned to leave, but she was surprised to see that Zack was still standing there.</p>
<p>“Um…” Zack said. “Did something happen to you…last night? Is that why…you’re so tired?”</p>
<p>Undine was taken aback. Unsure of how to answer, she said, “I just stayed up too late. Why?”</p>
<p>“It’s…nothing,” Zack said, looking away.</p>
<p>Even in her exhausted state, Undine’s suspicions were aroused. She asked, “Zack, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“I…” Zack stammered. He seemed to debate with himself before he said, “The past few nights…. I think…. When I look out my window…it feels like…She’s watching me.”</p>
<p>“She? You mean…?” Undine asked. But she somehow already knew that Zack was talking about The Purple One.</p>
<p>Zack turned back to Undine. He nodded.</p>
<p>“Have you actually seen her?” Undine asked, concern cutting through her exhaustion.</p>
<p>“No,” Zack admitted. “But…. I know She’s after Miss Kokoro. And…I just wish I could do something to stop Her.”</p>
<p>Undine placed her hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Kokoro’s fine,” she said. “And…I promise if there’s anything you can do to help, I’ll let you know.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Zack said. “You should…you should go home. So you can sleep.”</p>
<p>Undine nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said.</p>
<p>“Please don’t…push yourself too hard,” Zack said.</p>
<p>“I won’t,” Undine said, smiling warmly.</p>
<p>Undine took off her Sunbucks-branded visor and started heading for the door. A whole host of troubles were playing on her mind now. But her weariness was already reasserting itself. She reluctantly conceded that she’d have to worry about Zack’s potential stalker later.</p>
<p>Once Undine was out in the parking lot, she walked to her car. It was a four-door sedan that was at least as old as she was. There were a few scuffs and dings on its body, and the paint was starting to flake off, but it still ran well enough to get her from place to place.</p>
<p>Undine fumbled with her keys until she got the car door unlocked. Then she opened it up and sat down behind the wheel. She closed the door and stuck the key in the ignition, but rather than start the car she just sat there. Truth be told, she could barely keep her eyes open. She was tired on a fundamental level, and she had no idea why. It was true that last night had been a trying one, and she hadn’t gotten any sleep, but that didn’t explain her extreme exhaustion. Whatever the reason, she knew it wasn’t safe for her to drive right now.</p>
<p>Undine reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She scrolled down her contact list until she found Kokoro’s name.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>Undine didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep again until a tapping sound startled her awake. She sat up straight only to discover that she was still sitting behind the wheel of her car. She looked out the driver’s side window and saw Kokoro standing there.</p>
<p>Undine rolled down the window.</p>
<p>“I came as fast as I could,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Undine said. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”</p>
<p>“I’ve got an idea,” Kokoro said. “The same thing happened to me after the first few times I transformed. I probably should’ve warned you.”</p>
<p>“It’s alright,” Undine said. “Do you think it has something to do with adrenaline?”</p>
<p>“Naw. I’ve had adrenaline crashes before,” Kokoro said. “This felt different. I think it has something to do with using magic for the first time? Your body’s probably still getting used to it.”</p>
<p>“Just as long as it’s not like this every time,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“It gets better. I promise,” Kokoro said. “Scoot over so I can get in.”</p>
<p>Undine nimbly slid over her car’s center console and sat down in the passenger’s seat. Kokoro opened the door and took a seat behind the wheel.</p>
<p>“We’ll have to come back to pick up your car later,” Undine said, trying to think ahead.</p>
<p>“I didn’t drive,” Kokoro said, adjusting her seat backward to accommodate her long legs.</p>
<p>“But then you…” Undine said. It took her a second to realize that must have meant Kokoro had used her powers to get there.</p>
<p>“What if someone saw you?” Undine scolded.</p>
<p>“Hey. I had a mask on,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“I suppose,” Undine said. She still wasn’t convinced that the masks did anything to disguise their identities.</p>
<p>Kokoro buckled her seatbelt and said, “You’ll have to give me directions to your place.”</p>
<p>Undine paused for a moment before responding. The events of last night were still nagging at her. Now that Kokoro was sitting right next to her, Undine couldn’t help but remember the kiss they’d shared and how wonderful it had been. She also remembered what she’d felt deep in her heart. Even now in the light of day, even dulled by exhaustion, Undine realized that her feelings hadn’t changed. She was in love with Kokoro, and she had no idea what to do about that.</p>
<p>Undine slowly buckled her seat belt. Then she said, “Would it be okay if we went to your apartment instead?”</p>
<p>“Sure,” Kokoro said. She turned the key and started the car.</p>
<p>Undine leaned back in her seat as the car pulled out of the parking lot. She closed her eyes. Thoughts were dancing in her head—thoughts about Kokoro—but before the car had even reached the first stoplight, Undine was already fast asleep.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>The first thing Undine became aware of was that she was very comfortable. Everything around her felt warm and soft. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar bed that wasn’t her own. She instantly recognized the sight of Kokoro’s apartment. It was the second time she’d found herself there. Only this time she wasn’t alone in the bed. Kokoro was snuggled up next to her, lightly snoring.</p>
<p>Undine sighed contentedly. She hadn’t expected to wake up like this, but she was happy that she had. She shifted in bed so she could turn around and face Kokoro. The motion must have disturbed Kokoro’s sleep because her eyes fluttered open.</p>
<p>Kokoro smiled at Undine. “Good morning,” she said. “Er…afternoon.”</p>
<p>“Good afternoon,” Undine said back. “I see you decided not to sleep on the floor again.”</p>
<p>Kokoro chuckled.</p>
<p>“What?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Well I was going to,” Kokoro said. “But you grabbed my arm and told me not to.”</p>
<p>“I…don’t remember that,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“I’m not surprised,” Kokoro said. “I’m pretty sure you were still asleep.”</p>
<p>“Well asleep-me knew what she was talking about,” Undine said. She wrapped her arms around Kokoro and hugged her tight.</p>
<p>“Ngh,” Kokoro grunted in discomfort.</p>
<p>“Kokoro? What’s wrong?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Kokoro said. But she was obviously lying.</p>
<p>Undine frowned. She let go of Kokoro. Then she pushed the blankets off the both of them and said, “Sit up.”</p>
<p>“Undine. It’s—” Kokoro started to say.</p>
<p>“Up!” Undine commanded.</p>
<p>Kokoro grumbled a bit, but she did as she was told. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.</p>
<p>Undine lifted the back of Kokoro’s shirt. Her eyes were greeted by the sight of some nasty-looking bruises running across Kokoro’s torso.</p>
<p>“Kokoro!” Undine said, alarmed.</p>
<p>“I got a little roughed up when that pig monsters smashed me into the wall,” Kokoro said. “But it’s no big deal. I heal fast. It’ll be all better by tonight.”</p>
<p>“Kokoro, you can’t just ignore this,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“No really. I heal fast,” Kokoro said. “It’s part of being a magical girl.”</p>
<p>Undine was silent for a moment. Then she lowered Kokoro’s shirt and asked, “You’re sure the bruises will be gone by tonight?”</p>
<p>“Positive,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, Kicks jumped up onto the bed. She meowed several times.</p>
<p>“See?” Kokoro said. “Kicks agrees with me.”</p>
<p>“I, uh…” Undine said. “I still can’t understand her.”</p>
<p>“Really?!” Kokoro asked. “I thought now that you were a magical girl….”</p>
<p>Kicks meowed a few more times.</p>
<p>“But…” Kokoro said, turning to her cat. “That’s dumb.”</p>
<p>Kicks meowed once.</p>
<p>Kokoro sighed. She turned back to Undine. “Kicks says that magic is affected a lot by, uh…emotional connections, I guess.”</p>
<p>“So you can understand her…” Undine started.</p>
<p>“…because she was my pet before I became a magical girl,” Kokoro finished.</p>
<p>“So does that mean I still might be able to understand her too one day?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” Kokoro said. “If you spend enough time around her.”</p>
<p>“I suppose in the meantime you’ll just have to translate for me,” Undine said. “I do have a few questions.”</p>
<p>“Good luck getting a straight answer,” Kokoro said. “But ask away.”</p>
<p>Undine crawled over to Kokoro’s side of the bed and sat down on the edge next to her. She said, “Zack was talking with me earlier today. He thinks The Purple One is spying on him at night.”</p>
<p>“What!?” Kokoro exclaimed. “Why!?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Kicks started meowing, and Kokoro listened carefully.</p>
<p>After the meowing had stopped. Undine asked, “What did she say?”</p>
<p>“Well…” Kokoro said. “Not a lot that made much sense, but I think the gist of it was that The Purple One can only hurt people using Her monsters.”</p>
<p>“So if we keep hunting the monsters…” Undine said.</p>
<p>“…Zack and everyone else will be safe,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“That’s a relief I suppose,” Undine said. “Um…I was also wondering about something else. Can you ask her why my eyes turn pink when I transform?”</p>
<p>“That is a good question,” Kokoro said. She turned to her cat again. “Kicks?”</p>
<p>Kicks meowed.</p>
<p>“What do you mean you already answered that?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>Kicks meowed again and then jumped off the bed.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Kokoro said. Then she turned back to Undine. “Ugh. See what I mean? Sorry, I don’t think we’re going to figure it out today.”</p>
<p>“That’s okay,” Undine said. She leaned her head against Kokoro’s shoulder. “I’m sure we will eventually.”</p>
<p>Kokoro seemed surprised at first by Undine’s affectionate gesture. But then she put her arm around her.</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro sat there for a while, silently enjoying each other’s company. Undine felt incredibly content. It was amazing how much peace there was to be found in Kokoro’s presence. She closed her eyes, ready to let her cares drift away.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Undine opened her eyes again. “Emotional connections,” she said, apropos of nothing.</p>
<p>“Huh?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine stood up and took a few steps away from the bed. She realized now what Kicks’ non-answer had been implying. Her eyes changed colors because of some kind of emotional connection of hers. She blushed deeply as she finally put two and two together.</p>
<p>“Undine?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“When I first transformed, I was thinking about…you,” Undine said. “And the pink in my eyes matches your color.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Oh!” Kokoro said. She looked a little stunned at first. “So your eyes turn pink because you were thinking about me?”</p>
<p>Undine nodded.</p>
<p>“That’s kind of cool,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“No, you don’t understand,” Undine said. She turned her back to Kokoro, too embarrassed to face her.</p>
<p>Undine heard Kokoro get to her feet and walk in her direction. Then Kokoro’s arms hugged her gently from behind.</p>
<p>Kokoro asked, “What don’t I understand?”</p>
<p>Undine’s fists clenched. She wanted to hide from her feelings, but she realized that it was futile. They were literally written on her face every time she transformed. She finally turned to look at Kokoro, breaking out of her light embrace. It took every ounce of courage she had, but she said, “Kokoro. I love you.”</p>
<p>Kokoro’s mouth fell open. She looked completely shocked.</p>
<p>“I love you!” Undine repeated. “I know it’s too early for me to say that. But my life completely changed the day I met you. And not just because of magical girl stuff! I—!”</p>
<p>Undine was interrupted by Kokoro leaning forward and kissing her on the lips. Undine’s eyes went wide, but they quickly closed. A tear trickled down her cheek as she surrendered to the kiss. Before she knew it, she and Kokoro were hugging each other tight, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away.</p>
<p>All too soon, the kiss ended. Undine opened her eyes. She stared longingly at Kokoro, and Kokoro did the same to her. Then Kokoro said, “I love you too, Undine.”</p>
<p>It was a good thing that Undine was holding on to Kokoro because otherwise those five words would’ve knocked her flat. She stared at Kokoro in disbelief. Then she asked, “Does that mean…. Does that mean you’re my girlfriend now?”</p>
<p>Kokoro laughed. “Yeah,” she said. “It does.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I debated with myself for a while about whether or not Undine would be able to understand Kicks in this chapter. I selected not mostly because I thought it would be funnier. There are other reasons too, of course. But I don’t want to spoil them for you.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Peeping One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gloom of night whizzed past Undine as she skated from rooftop to rooftop atop a standing wave of water. She was just managing to keep up with Kokoro who was sprinting ahead of her at breakneck speed. The two of them were chasing a monster, the last one for tonight Undine hoped. She had lost sight of the creature, but she could easily sense it running along the streets down below.</p>
<p>It was a bit alarming to Undine how quickly the nightly monster hunt had become simply another part of her routine. Once tonight’s hunt was over, she’d be heading back to her apartment to get ready for her shift at Sunbucks like nothing extraordinary had happened. That was just how things were now.</p>
<p>Using her magical girl powers had stopped being so exhausting for Undine, as Kokoro had predicted. However, finding the time to sleep had been tricky at first. Undine had discovered that Kokoro actually slept in the afternoons, and she’d quickly adopted that schedule as well. In fact, most days she was either sleeping over at Kokoro’s apartment or Kokoro was sleeping over at hers. Undine had initially told herself that it was more convenient for the both of them to wake up and head out for the monster hunt together. And while that was true, the real reason she shared a bed with Kokoro as often as she could was because she couldn’t get enough of cuddling with her new girlfriend. It was like a drug to her, and she was hooked.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, Undine felt the monster below take a sharp turn onto a small side street. Kokoro must have sensed it too because she skidded to a stop. Undine wasn’t quite so quick to react, but as she slid past, Kokoro grabbed her by the arm.</p>
<p>Undine expected Kokoro to yank her to a halt, but that turned out to not be Kokoro’s plan. Instead, she pivoted, redirecting Undine’s momentum. Undine realized at the last second what Kokoro intended to do, but by then it was too late to object.</p>
<p>“Now’s our chance!” Kokoro shouted. She planted her feet and tossed Undine as hard as she could in the direction of the fleeing monster.</p>
<p>Undine panic briefly as she felt herself soar through the open air, but she quickly collected her wits again. Down on the ground below her she saw the monster galloping in the darkness. The creature looked a bit like a deer, if deer were predators with mouths full of sharp teeth and had six long, spindly legs.</p>
<p>Kokoro’s aim had been true. Undine was on the perfect trajectory to land in front of the monster. She started gathering her power, and just before she hit the ground, she conjured up a huge ball of water all around herself.</p>
<p>Undine landed with a literal splash, sending torrents of water rushing out in all directions. The sudden waves knocked the unsuspecting monster off its feet. Undine’s boots touched the ground, and she raised her hands, ready to use her power again. She saw the monster fumbling in front of her, doing its best to get back upright. The creature hissed loudly at her, but she wasn’t intimidated. Her career as a magical girl hadn’t been a long one yet, but she’d already faced worse.</p>
<p>The monster finally got back up and bared its teeth, but Undine stood her ground. Just then, off in the distance, she spotted Kokoro sprinting toward her. Undine decided it was time to end this. She thrust her hand forward, and a powerful jet of water appeared from nowhere. It slammed into the monster, knocking it in Kokoro’s direction.</p>
<p>“All yours!” Undine shouted to Kokoro.</p>
<p>“Got it!” Kokoro shouted back.</p>
<p>The jet of water rapidly carried the monster toward Kokoro who cocked her fist back. Then she let loose with a punch. Her blow connected with the monster. There was a flash of pink, and then the creature was no more.</p>
<p>To Undine’s relief, her monster sense faded. It seemed that creature really had been the last one for tonight after all.</p>
<p>Kokoro sauntered up to Undine with a big grin on her face. “That was a nice move,” she said. “You’re really getting the hang of this.”</p>
<p>“I had a good teacher,” Undine said. “Although she does sometimes throw me off buildings without warning me first.”</p>
<p>“Well yeah, but…” Kokoro said, shuffling her feet in an embarrassed manner. “It worked, didn’t it?”</p>
<p>Undine chuckled. Even if she’d wanted to be mad at Kokoro it would’ve been impossible with her acting so cute.</p>
<p>Kokoro cleared her throat. She said, “Anyway. I guess we should start heading for home. You’ll need to get ready for work soon.”</p>
<p>“You’re right,” Undine said. “Although….”</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Undine was silent for a moment. There had been something that had been bugging her for several days now. She said, “I’m worried that we’re not making any progress toward figuring out where The Barrier Kicks mentioned is, or how to fix it.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kokoro said. “I’ve been worried about that too.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you should ask your cat again?” Undine suggested.</p>
<p>“I can try,” Kokoro said. “But you know how that goes.”</p>
<p>“Right…” Undine said. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t understand Kicks. She was starting to think that she never would.</p>
<p>“Actually, I’ve got an idea,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Oh? What is it?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“What we really need is a chance to relax and clear our heads,” Kokoro said. “So how about we go on a date!”</p>
<p>“I…. That would be wonderful!” Undine said. She didn’t see how that would help them find The Barrier, but she wasn’t about to object. After all, Kokoro was officially her girlfriend now. It was about time they went on another date together.</p>
<p>“I think we both have the day off from our regular jobs two days from now. How about then?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“That sounds perfect,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Then it’s a date!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>A few hours later, Undine was standing behind the counter of the Sunbucks, doing the last bit of prep work that needed to be done to get the shop ready to open. She had gone through the routine so many times by now that she could practically do it in her sleep, and that was a good thing today because she wasn’t paying attention to her work at all. Her head was lost in the clouds, fantasizing about her upcoming date with Kokoro. She had no idea what they were going to do, but she didn’t particularly care. Nothing and no one could convince her that it would be anything less than perfect.</p>
<p>“Heeey, Boss,” a smooth voice said, interrupting Undine’s daydreaming.</p>
<p>Bud slid up to Undine and leaned her shoulder against her. “Have you seen the news?” she asked with a subtle yet devious grin.</p>
<p>“No?” Undine said. “Should I have?”</p>
<p>Bud stood up straight again. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started tapping on the screen. “It’s not on the mainstream news yet,” she said. “But this little picture has been making the rounds on the Internet.”</p>
<p>Bud held up her phone so that Undine could see.</p>
<p>Undine gulped. The picture had clearly been taken at night from down on a sidewalk looking up at a building, and on the top of said building were two streaks of color, one pink and one cyan blue.</p>
<p>“Pretty nice colors there, don’t you think? They look kind of familiar,” Bud said. “According to the original poster, he saw two people out late last night running across the rooftops. Apparently they were chasing down some sort of monster. Pretty crazy, eh?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what…” Undine started to say, but then she trailed off as something in the photo caught her eye. Without thinking, she grabbed the phone out of Bud’s hand.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Bud said.</p>
<p>Undine ignored Bud. She zoomed in on a section of wall in the picture. She thought she saw some sort of figure, but it was too dark for her to be sure. She tapped on the screen a few times and started messing with the photo’s brightness and contrast settings. It took some doing, but she eventually found the right combination. And when she did, a grinning face emerged from the shadows. Undine would’ve recognized the face anywhere. It was Her, The Purple One.</p>
<p>Undine stared dumbfounded. The Purple One’s skin and hair appeared to be, perhaps unsurprisingly, a deep shade of purple in the photo. Undine wasn’t sure if that was actually the case or if it was just a side effect of her adjusting the photo’s settings. But even more unusual, The Purple One’s head appeared to be poking out from a solid wall. It was as if the wall was no more substantial to Her than water. Undine suddenly recalled that first night she’d fought the monsters, and how she’d thought she’d sensed an unseen person disappear into a wall. She wondered now if The Purple One could walk through solid objects or if something else was going on.</p>
<p>In the photo, The Purple One was clearly staring up at the streaks of blue and pink. The thought that She’d been secretly watching last night sent a shiver up Undine’s spine.</p>
<p>“See anything interesting?” Bud asked, somewhat indignantly.</p>
<p>“No!” Undine said, finally realizing how rude she was being. She hit the cancel button on the screen, and The Purple One’s creepy smile faded back into inky blackness. Undine handed Bud back her phone. “Sorry about that.”</p>
<p>“If you want to make it up to me you could always tell me your theory about what’s in that picture,” Bud said. “Or who.”</p>
<p>Undine gave Bud her most polite smile. She said, “I have no idea. Sorry.”</p>
<p>Bud frowned, but then she shrugged her shoulders. “Too bad for me then,” she said. “Guess I’d better get back to work.”</p>
<p>“I’d appreciate it,” Undine said politely.</p>
<p>Once Bud had walked off, Undine wandered over to the cash register. She leaned against it and sighed. She could have dealt with Bud showing her that photo, but the reminder that The Purple One was still out there and that she and Kokoro were no closer to catching Her was sobering.</p>
<p>Undine stared out toward the front of the shop, looking at nothing in particular. Then all of a sudden, for the second time in as many minutes, something caught her eye. Outside the Sunbucks’ front door, a good distance across the parking lot, someone was standing there—someone in a purple sundress.</p>
<p>Undine’s eyes went wide. “Bud!” she shouted, turning toward her coworker.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Bud said, looking up from where she was standing at the back counter.</p>
<p>“Do you see—?” Undine turned back toward the front door and abruptly cut herself off. The person she’d spotted just a moment ago was gone.</p>
<p>“Do I see what?” Bud asked.</p>
<p>“I’ll…I’ll be right back,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Before Bud could ask for an explanation, Undine ran out from behind the counter and over to the front door. She snatched her keys out of her pocket and let herself out. However, when she got outside, the parking lot was empty. There didn’t appear to be anyone there at all, purple or otherwise.</p>
<p>Undine stood there, scanning the distance with her eyes, but she truly was alone. Eventually, she turned to go back inside, but just then she heard some footsteps echoing off to her left. Her head snapped in that direction just in time to catch the briefest of glimpses of someone walking around the corner of the building.</p>
<p>“Hey! Stop!” Undine said. She ran after the figure, but when she rounded the corner there was no one there.</p>
<p>Undine stood there, gazing dumbly at the empty space. Then her expression hardened into one of determination. In a flash, she transformed.</p>
<p>Undine didn’t sense any monsters nearby, but she didn’t take that to mean that the coast was clear. A geyser of water sprung up beneath her feet. It carried her up to the top of the building and deposited her neatly on the roof. From her new vantage point, she quickly surveyed the entire parking lot, but again, there was no one to be seen.</p>
<p>A growl of frustration rumbled in Undine’s throat. She couldn’t help but feel like The Purple One was toying with her. Then again, it was entirely possible that she had just been imagining things and that The Purple One hadn’t even been there at all. Undine wasn’t sure which possibility she liked less.</p>
<p>After a few more minutes of fruitless searching, Undine gave up. If The Purple One had been there, She was long gone now. However, Undine did spot Kokoro strolling up to the Sunbucks. She hadn’t realized it was that time already.</p>
<p>Undine walked over to the edge of the roof. She carefully selected a spot along the coffee shop’s perimeter that didn’t have any windows and jumped down. She landed on a bubble of water only a few feet away from where Kokoro was standing.</p>
<p>“Whoa!” Kokoro said in surprise. “Uh…nice entrance!”</p>
<p>Undine hastily transformed back into her regular self. She didn’t say anything.</p>
<p>“Is something wrong?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“She’s been watching us,” Undine said. “When we’ve been fighting the monsters at night.”</p>
<p>“You mean…!?” Kokoro asked, sounding alarmed.</p>
<p>Undine nodded her head. “And I thought I saw Her just now,” she said. “That’s why I was up on the roof. I was trying to see where She’d gone.”</p>
<p>“Man. She really knows how to piss me off!” Kokoro said. “The sooner we take Her down the better.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Undine said. Then she suddenly realized that something else was amiss. “Wait a moment. What time is it?”</p>
<p>“Almost six,” Kokoro said. “I’m running a little late today.”</p>
<p>Dread started to seep into Undine. She pulled open the door and said, “Bud!”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Bud asked from behind the counter. She looked very perplexed.</p>
<p>“Has Zack shown up yet? Or called?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Nope,” Bud said. “Haven’t seen him.”</p>
<p>Undine would’ve liked to believe that she was making a big deal over nothing, but all she could think of was Zack telling her about The Purple One skulking around outside his window late at night. She snatched her keys out of her pocket and tossed then to a confused-looking Kokoro. “Go get my car!” she said.</p>
<p>“Okay?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Something wrong, Boss?” Bud asked, also sounding confused.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Undine said as she rushed toward the manager’s office. Zack’s address was in there, tucked away in the employee files. Undine’s plan was to grab it so that she and Kokoro could go check on him. She desperately hoped that nothing had happened to him. She hoped they weren’t already too late.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You know, this is the second story I’ve written where a character tosses her girlfriend off a building/cliff. Does that say something about me? Should I be concerned?</p>
<p>Just a heads-up, I’m going to be busy with family obligations next week, so the next chapter will likely be delayed.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The New Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, I did say that this chapter would be delayed. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to take <em>this</em> long, but here we are. Life comes at you fast, especially these days. But no matter! The chapter is here and ready for you to read. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Undine was sitting in the passenger seat of her car as Kokoro drove. Her phone was pressed to her ear. She was hoping against hope that Zack would pick up this time. Unfortunately, the call went to voice mail again.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Undine said as she lowered her phone.</p>
<p>“We’re almost to where he lives,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Undine absently hummed as she stared at her phone. She really wanted to try calling Zack yet again, but she finally resigned herself to the fact that he wasn’t going to answer.</p>
<p>“Uh…Undine?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Yes?” Undine asked, looking up.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you got the right address?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>Undine glanced out the front window and saw that she and Kokoro were about to pull into a place that looked more like a fancy office park than an apartment complex. She was very confused at first, but when they entered the parking lot, they drove past a sign that read “Future’s Promise Community School”.</p>
<p>“A boarding school?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Looks like it,” Kokoro said. “Aren’t these places usually closed during summer?”</p>
<p>“I don’t really know,” Undine admitted, but she understood what Kokoro was implying. Even if Zack did attend a boarding school, it was odd that he wasn’t living with his family right now.</p>
<p>The address that Undine had found in Zack’s employee file led her and Kokoro to a specific building. Undine presumed that it was a residence hall of some kind.</p>
<p>Once Kokoro had parked in front of the building, she and Undine got out of the car. Kokoro stared up at the hall for a moment. Then she asked, “Do we just go inside?”</p>
<p>Undine didn’t respond. She didn’t really know what to do in this situation, but she wasn’t about to leave until she found out what had happened to Zack. She started walking toward the building. Kokoro followed.</p>
<p>When Undine reached the building’s entrance, she grabbed the handle on the front door. She half expected it to be locked, but when she pulled, the door opened freely.</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro walked inside. They found themselves standing in a small, well-lit foyer with wood-paneled walls and carpeted floors. There was a desk stationed just to the side of the entrance, and sitting at it was a young woman with thick-rimmed glasses; dark, dreadlocked hair; and a blazer with a school crest on it.</p>
<p>The woman looked like she’d been dozing, but she sat up straight when she saw Undine and Kokoro come in. She said, “Hey! What are you two doing here? You’re not residents.”</p>
<p>Before Undine could answer, Kokoro asked, “How do you know that?”</p>
<p>The woman apparently took offence to Kokoro’s question. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Because I know everyone who lives here.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Undine interjected. “We didn’t mean to intrude, but if you know everyone, then you can help us. We’re looking for our friend, Zack Blecher.”</p>
<p>The woman scowled. “Why?” she asked.</p>
<p>“He didn’t show up for work today, and he’s not answering his phone,” Undine said. “We’re really worried about him.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t think Zack had any friends at work,” the woman said.</p>
<p>Kokoro said, “Well he does. Because that’s us.”</p>
<p>“He’s never talked about you,” the woman said.</p>
<p>“Well he’s never talked about you either,” Kokoro fired back.</p>
<p>The woman’s scowl deepened.</p>
<p>“Kokoro…” Undine muttered exasperatedly. Then she said to the woman, “Please. We just want to know if Zack is okay.”</p>
<p>The woman crossed her arms. She stared at Undine for a long time before relenting a little. She said, “Alright. Maybe you can figure out what’s going on. But if either of you tries anything, I’m calling the cops.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Undine said, bowing slightly.</p>
<p>The woman stood. As soon as her back was turned, Kokoro stuck out her tongue at her. Undine nudged Kokoro admonishingly with her elbow, but she also had to suppress a giggle.</p>
<p>The woman led Undine and Kokoro deeper into the residence hall until all three of them were standing in front of a door. The woman knocked. “Zack? Are you still in there? It’s Suzy again,” she said.</p>
<p>There was a pause. Then Zack’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. “Go away.”</p>
<p>“Your friends, uh…” Suzy said. She turned to Undine. “What were your names?”</p>
<p>“Undine and Kokoro,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Your friends Undine and Kokoro are here to see you,” Suzy said.</p>
<p>There was another pause, longer this time. Then Zack’s voice said, “Really?”</p>
<p>“It’s us, Zack,” Undine said, speaking up so she could be heard through the door. “Can we come in?”</p>
<p>After yet another pause, there was a click, and the door unlocked. “Okay,” Zack’s voice said. “But just you two.”</p>
<p>Suzy frowned. She glared at Undine and Kokoro. “No funny business,” she said.</p>
<p>“We promise,” Undine said.</p>
<p>Suzy crossed her arms again, but she stepped aside.</p>
<p>Undine opened the door to Zack’s room and walked inside. Kokoro followed, closing the door behind her. The room was just big enough for one person to live in. It was an austere space. There was a bed, a desk, a chair, and not much else. A laptop sat open on the desk, and there was a stuffed armadillo lying on the bed, but they were the only indications that someone resided there.</p>
<p>“Zack! Are you…?” Undine trailed off. Zack was sitting on his bed with his head hung low. His fluffy hair was silver.</p>
<p>At first Undine wondered if Zack had dyed his hair, but when he lifted his head slightly, she could see that his eyes were silver now too.</p>
<p>“What! But…!?” Undine said.</p>
<p>“He’s…a magical girl?” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“You didn’t tell me that boys could become magical girls!” Undine said to Kokoro.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know!” Kokoro said. “I guess Kicks never said they couldn’t, but calling them ‘magical girls’ kind of makes you think they have to be girls.”</p>
<p>“But…” Undine said. “Zack isn’t a girl!”</p>
<p>Zack lowered his head again and mumbled something unintelligible.</p>
<p>Undine realized that she and Kokoro were being very inconsiderate by talking about Zack like he wasn’t there. “Zack?” she asked.</p>
<p>Zack’s hands clenched together. Then he lifted his head high and shouted, “I am a girl!”</p>
<p>Undine was caught completely off guard, and judging by Kokoro’s expression, so was she.</p>
<p>“I am a girl! And my name is Zoe! At least…I want it to be,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>Silence lingered in the room for a moment. Then Undine stepped forward. She held out her hand. “Hello, Zoe,” she said. “My name’s Undine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”</p>
<p>Zoe looked mystified, but then, with tears brimming in her eyes, she took Undine’s hand and shook it.</p>
<p>“I…um…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“You don’t need to explain anything,” Undine said. “I understand.”</p>
<p>“Thank you…” Zoe said. She looked away, unable to hold Undine’s gaze.</p>
<p>“So, uh…” Kokoro said. “We should probably explain to her what’s going on.”</p>
<p>Undine and Kokoro spent the next several minutes telling Zoe everything. She sat there listening the entire time, never interrupting to ask a question.</p>
<p>“And then we came here,” Kokoro said, finishing up.</p>
<p>“Your…” Zoe said. “Your cat can talk?”</p>
<p>Undine couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s what Kokoro claims,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.</p>
<p>“Hey! She can!” Kokoro said, sounding indignant.</p>
<p>Undine said to Zoe, “I know this is a lot to take in. But it’s all true. Even Kokoro’s cat talking.”</p>
<p>“It does all kind of make sense,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“It does?” Undine asked, not sure if she agreed. “Um…good.”</p>
<p>“So…. Bud was right,” Zoe said. “You two really are the superheroes going around protecting the city at night.”</p>
<p>Undine grimaced. “Yes,” she said. “But please don’t tell her that.”</p>
<p>“Can I…see you transform?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro grinned. “Sure!” She made a show of gesturing to Undine. “After you.”</p>
<p>Undine glanced over at the room’s only window to make sure the blinds were drawn. Once she was certain that no one else could see them, she took a few steps back and closed her eyes. She had the art of transforming mostly figured out by now, but it still wasn’t something that came effortlessly to her. She always had to concentrate just a little bit to make the magic happen.</p>
<p>A blue glow began emanating from Undine, and she felt the familiar buzz. There was a flash, and she transformed. She opened her eyes.</p>
<p>Kokoro smiled. Then she raised her fist and transformed as well.</p>
<p>Zoe sat there, staring at Undine and Kokoro. Her mouth hung open in amazement. She stood up and started to reach for Undine—like she wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was real—but she quickly withdrew her hand.</p>
<p>“And…” Zoe said. “I can transform too?”</p>
<p>“We think so,” Undine said. “But it might take—”</p>
<p>Undine was cut off by a silver light that suddenly filled the room. Her jaw dropped as she saw Zoe’s feet lift an inch or two off the floor. Zoe’s left eye started to glow, quickly followed by the rest of her body. There was a flash as she transformed. Then her feet gently touched back down.</p>
<p>Undine had to blink a few times to process what had just happened. Zoe was now wearing a white and gray dress with decorations that resembled flowers. There was a cape around her shoulders, cuffs at the ends of her sleeves, and a glove on her left hand that only covered her middle three fingers. In lieu of a mask, there was a band of cloth covering her right eye much like an eye patch would. But most unexpected of all, the iris of her left eye had taken on the shape of a flower.</p>
<p>“Uh…” Zoe said, looking down at herself.</p>
<p>Undine was a little consternated that Zoe had been able to transform so effortlessly, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be jealous. If anything, she felt validated on Zoe’s behalf. Magic clearly agreed that Zoe was a girl.</p>
<p>“Can you…see alright?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Better than usual. I think…. Why? Is….” Zoe reached up. Her fingers brushed against the band of cloth covering her right eye. She seemed surprised to find it there. Undine had to assume that she could see through it just fine.</p>
<p>Kokoro suddenly let out a happy cooing noise. Then she said, “Magical girl group hug!”</p>
<p>Before Undine realized what was happening, Kokoro had swept her and Zoe up into her arms. Zoe, for her part, clearly hadn’t expected to suddenly be pressed in so close to Undine and Kokoro, but she didn’t look distressed by the close contact.</p>
<p>Kokoro said, “Now that there’s three of us, the monsters don’t stand a chance!”</p>
<p>“Kokoro…” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Kokoro said, letting go of everyone. “Uh…right. That’s if you want to help us fight the monsters, Zoe.”</p>
<p>“That’s what…I’m supposed to do now, isn’t it?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“No,” Undine said very firmly. “You’re not supposed to do anything. It’s entirely your choice.”</p>
<p>“But if you want to,” Kokoro said, “we’re here to show you the ropes.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’m ready to fight monsters,” Zoe said. “But…I would…like to learn more about being a magical girl.”</p>
<p>Kokoro grinned, a gleam suddenly appearing in her eye. She said, “Then it sounds like it’s the perfect time…for training!”</p>
<p>“Training…?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>Kokoro put her hands on Zoe’s shoulders. “You’re now officially a member of the Magical Girl Power Training Club!”</p>
<p>“O-okay,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“You and Undine should come by the gym this afternoon!” Kokoro said. “It’ll be fun! Promise!”</p>
<p>“That sounds…good,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“Speaking of work,” Undine said. She transformed back into her regular self. “I should really get back there. I left poor Bud at the shop all by herself.”</p>
<p>“Um…I guess I should go to work too,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“It’s okay if you need to take the rest of the day off,” Undine said. “I’d understand.”</p>
<p>“No, I…” Zoe said. She half smiled to herself. “I’ll be there. There’s just…something I need to do first.”</p>
<p>∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞</p>
<p>A while later, Undine burst back through the door of the Sunbucks. By her estimate, the morning rush was already about halfway over, and judging by the long line of customers waiting at the front counter, it had been a busy one so far.</p>
<p>“Well, well, well,” Bud said, glaring at Undine as she slipped back behind the counter. “Look who’s back.”</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry about that,” Undine said. She immediately grabbed a cup and started preparing the next order on the list.</p>
<p>“Is Zack okay at least?” Bud asked.</p>
<p>Undine actually had to pause and think about how to answer Bud’s question. She had no idea if Zoe was ready to present as female to the world yet, but it didn’t feel right to call her “Zack” anymore. Even using the wrong pronouns struck her as being rude. Eventually, she said, “Everything was okay.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Bud said. “Then I’ll only complain a little bit.”</p>
<p>Undine and Bud worked through the rest of the morning rush without any further disasters. Things had finally calmed down when the door chime sounded again. Undine looked up to see Zoe walk in. And it really was Zoe, not Zack. She had a white blouse and a calf-length skirt on under her Sunbucks apron, and she was wearing just a touch of makeup. Her face also looked surprisingly feminine, more so than it had earlier that morning. It took Undine a second to realize that Zoe must have done some contouring, and based on the results, she was quite the expert. Undine was impressed.</p>
<p>“Wow,” Bud’s voice said sarcastically from right next to Undine.</p>
<p>Undine actually jumped a little. She hadn’t been aware that Bud was standing so close to her. She turned, and to her horror, she could practically see the snarky comment forming on Bud’s lips.</p>
<p>Before Undine could stop her, Bud said, “So is it a requirement to have dyed hair if you work here now? Should I make an appointment with my stylist?”</p>
<p>“Uh…” Undine said. That hadn’t been what she’d been expecting Bud to say.</p>
<p>“What color do you think I should get?” Bud asked. “Maybe white? How do you think that’d look?”</p>
<p>Zoe walked behind the counter with uncharacteristic confidence. She strolled right up to Bud and held out her hand. “Hello, Bud,” she said. “I’m Zoe. It’s nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>Bud took Zoe’s hand and gave it a shake. “Right back at ya, Zoe,” Bud said. “Looking good. I like the hair.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I never would’ve expected that Suzy would make the cut of characters appearing in this story, but she was exactly what I needed. I didn’t go back and check, but I think she has more lines here than she does in canon.</p>
<p>So…. I don’t think I realized what I was getting myself into when I decided to bring Zoe’s trans status more to the forefront of her character. I’m not regretting making that decision, but I’m also not sure I’m qualified to write about issues facing trans individuals. It’s a very complex topic, and my own personal perspective on it is woefully limited. Hopefully I did an okay job in this chapter.</p>
<p>I would also like to say that I’m jealous of this Zoe’s contouring skills. My own are severely lacking.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Prodigy Daughter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gym where Kokoro worked was as busy as ever when Undine and Zoe walked in. Undine had driven them there as soon as their shifts at Sunbucks had ended. Just like last time, Undine wasn’t exactly sure where she was supposed to meet Kokoro, but she assumed they would be training in the same room.</p>
<p>Undine started heading toward the back of the gym, but she stopped when she realized that Zoe wasn’t following her. She turned back around and saw Zoe standing there like a deer caught in the headlights.</p>
<p>Undine was actually a little surprised. The newfound confidence that Zoe had displayed in front of Bud this morning had lasted all through her shift. Undine had even been contemplating if it might be time to start training Zoe on the cash register. However, it was clear that whatever had bolstered Zoe’s self-esteem was gone.</p>
<p>Undine took a few steps back toward Zoe. She asked, “Is everything okay?”</p>
<p>“There are…a lot of people here,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>Now Undine understood. It was one thing for Zoe to face the world as her real self at the Sunbucks. There could only be so many people in the relatively small coffee shop at any given time. Here at the gym however, Zoe was in an unfamiliar place with a literal crowd surrounding her. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.</p>
<p>Undine put a hand on Zoe’s shoulder, hoping that it would be a calming gesture. She said, “There are a lot of people here, but you don’t need to worry about them. We’ll be in a private room. It’ll just be the three of us. I promise.”</p>
<p>Zoe stared at Undine for a moment. Then she nodded and said, “Okay.”</p>
<p>“We can do this some other time,” Undine said. “Or even not at all.”</p>
<p>“No,” Zoe said, sounding more resolute. “I want to do this.”</p>
<p>Undine smiled. She said, “Let’s go find Kokoro. I’m sure she’s eagerly waiting for us.”</p>
<p>“She did seem…excited about training,” Zoe said.</p>
<p>Undine chuckled and said, “She did.”</p>
<p>Undine started walking toward the back of the gym again, and this time, Zoe followed. Undine took the same route as last time and ended up in the same door-filled hallway. She and Zoe had just about reached their destination when one of the doors opened and someone Undine recognized stepped out.</p>
<p>“Oh! Hello, Harley!” Undine said.</p>
<p>“Undine?” Harley asked. “I didn’t realize you’d be showing up today. Does Kokoro know?”</p>
<p>“She knows,” Undine said. “This was…a last-minute sort of thing.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Harley said. Her gaze shifted to Zoe. “Who’s your friend?”</p>
<p>“This is Zoe,” Undine said. “She’s going to be training with me and Kokoro today.”</p>
<p>“Um…” Zoe said, looking very nervous. “P-please to meet you, Miss…Harley.”</p>
<p>Harley didn’t say anything in response. She just stared blankly at Zoe and Undine.</p>
<p>“Is…something wrong?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“No, I just thought…” Harley said. “Were you and Kokoro <em>actually</em> training last time?”</p>
<p>“Yes?” Undine said. Now she was confused.</p>
<p>“What…for?” Harley asked.</p>
<p>“Uh…” Undine said. She started to get nervous. She obviously couldn’t tell Harley the truth, but she had no idea how to come up with a convincing lie.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, a voice called out from behind. “Undine! Zoe! You made it!”</p>
<p>Everyone turned as Kokoro bounded up to the group. She hooked her arms around Undine’s and Zoe’s shoulders. “You girls ready for some training!?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I’d say we are,” Undine said, grateful for Kokoro’s unintentional rescue.</p>
<p>“Great!” Kokoro said. Then she finally seemed to notice Harley’s presence. “Hey Harls! Have you met Zoe yet?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I…. I think I need to get going,” Harley said. She immediately beat a hasty retreat down the hallway.</p>
<p>Kokoro looked confused. “What was that all about?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I think Harley just had her assumptions challenged,” Undine speculated. “We probably shouldn’t worry about it.”</p>
<p>“If you say so,” Kokoro said with a shrug. “Anyway! I got the room all set up!”</p>
<p>Kokoro led Undine and Zoe back to the same room that she and Undine had used during the first meeting of the Magical Girl Power Training Club, as Kokoro had called it.</p>
<p>Once everyone was inside, Kokoro shut the door behind her and said, “Welcome to the club, Zoe!”</p>
<p>“Thank you…” Zoe said. “Um…what do I need to do?”</p>
<p>“The first step is to transform!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Is…that going to be okay?” Zoe asked. “There’s other people here at the gym.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be fine,” Kokoro said. “I’ve got the room reserved for the rest of the afternoon. No one’s going to bother us.”</p>
<p>“We’ve done this sort of thing before,” Undine said in an attempt to reassure Zoe.</p>
<p>“…alright,” Zoe said. Then she started to glow and transformed in a flash.</p>
<p>Undine was still amazed at how easily transforming came to Zoe, but she supposed she should be happy for her. She closed her eyes, focused herself, and transformed as well. Kokoro followed suit.</p>
<p>“And…what do we do next?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“Next we’ve got to figure out what your powers are!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“How do we do that…?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“Trial and error!” Kokoro said, her enthusiasm undiminished.</p>
<p>“Um…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“Maybe a demonstration would be helpful,” Undine suggested. She held up her hand, palm pointed upward. Rivulets of water spontaneously formed in the air and gathered into her hand until they’d coalesced into a small bubble.</p>
<p>“This is my power,” Undine said. “I can create and control water.”</p>
<p>“Wow,” Zoe whispered, her eyes visibly widening with wonderment.</p>
<p>“And I can do this!” Kokoro said. She punched the air. A pink heart shot out of her fist. It streaked across the room and collided with one of the punching bags on the far side, causing it to lurch back and forth on its chains.</p>
<p>“Eep!” Zoe said, leaping back in alarm.</p>
<p>“Kokoro…” Undine said in a scolding tone.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Kokoro said, scratching the back of her head. “Anyway. Now it’s your turn, Zoe.”</p>
<p>“But how do I…?” Zoe said, trailing off.</p>
<p>Undine said, “First you need to feel the magic inside of you.”</p>
<p>“Um…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“Here. Maybe this will help,” Undine said. She took Zoe’s hand. Then she scrunched her face as she concentrated. Now that she knew how to use her powers it was surprisingly difficult for her to conjure up raw magical energy, but after a bit of effort, she managed to do so. A blue glow surrounded her body, and she felt the now familiar tingling sensation. It was especially strong where her hand was touching Zoe’s.</p>
<p>Zoe’s mouth was agape as she stared at Undine’s hand.</p>
<p>“Do you feel that?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>Zoe nodded yes.</p>
<p>“That’s magic,” Undine said. “That’s what you need to use your powers.”</p>
<p>“Okay…” Zoe said. She let go of Undine’s hand.</p>
<p>Undine released her magic, and the glow around her body faded. She stepped back to give Zoe some space. She glanced over at Kokoro and immediately paused. Kokoro was looking at her with a big smile on her face, and her eyes were shining with pride.</p>
<p>“What?” Undine asked.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Kokoro said, although her smile didn’t fade.</p>
<p>“Oh!” Zoe said. All of a sudden, her body was engulfed in a silver glow.</p>
<p>“You’ve got it!” Undine said. “Now you just need to….”</p>
<p>Undine trailed off as the energy surrounding Zoe started to shift. It all gathered together until it had become a glowing, silver ball that was hovering in front of Zoe at chest height. Everyone, Zoe included, gawked in amazement.</p>
<p>Zoe timidly reached out for the ball of light. Her fingers brushed against it, and the moment they did, there was a bright flash.</p>
<p>Undine reflexively shielded her eyes with her arm. When she lowered it again, she saw that Zoe was now holding a slingshot. The weapon appeared to be made of two small tree branches twined together, complete with a few leaves here and there. However, the branches were silver in color and had a metallic sheen to them. They clearly weren’t made of wood.</p>
<p>“Is this…my power?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“I…I suppose so,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“How…does it work?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“I bet it shoots magic bullets!” Kokoro said, sounding very excited. “Come on over here!”</p>
<p>Kokoro grabbed Zoe’s arm and practically dragged her in front of one of the punching bags. “Go on!” she said. “Give it a try!”</p>
<p>“O-okay…” Zoe said. She lifted her slingshot and pulled back on the empty pouch. Its strings creaked under the tension.</p>
<p>Zoe took a minute to line up a shot. “Like this?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Kokoro said, literally bouncing with anticipation.</p>
<p>Zoe let go. The slingshot’s pouch surged forward, but nothing else happened. No bullet, magical or otherwise was launched from it.</p>
<p>“Um…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“Huh,” Kokoro said. “I guess that wasn’t it.”</p>
<p>“Maybe the ammunition is in there,” Undine said. She pointed at a pouch on Zoe’s belt.</p>
<p>Zoe looked down at the pouch. She hesitated for a moment, but then she reached inside. When she withdrew her hand, she was holding a small, gray object that looked a bit like an oversized seed.</p>
<p>“That’s got to be it!” Kokoro said. “Try that!”</p>
<p>“Alright…” Zoe said. She put the seed into her slingshot and pulled back on the string again.</p>
<p>This time when Zoe released her slingshot’s pouch, the seed whizzed out of it in the form of a small, glowing dot. It embedded itself neatly in the punching bag. There was a moment’s delay. Then a bouquet of metallic-looking flowers bloomed out of the bag with a crunching sound.</p>
<p>“Whoa! What!?” Zoe said.</p>
<p>Everyone was silent with astonishment. Kokoro walked over to the bag. She stared thoughtfully at the unusual flowers before she plucked at one of their petals.</p>
<p>“Kokoro! Don’t touch them! It could be dangerous!” Undine said.</p>
<p>Kokoro didn’t listen to Undine. She wiggled the petal between her fingers. It reacted like it was made of very thin sheet metal.</p>
<p>“Well that’s interesting,” Kokoro said. “Seems safe enough to me. Although not if you got hit with it.”</p>
<p>Undine let out an exasperated sigh. She said, “We’re going to have to get rid of that somehow. I don’t think we want to have to explain it to Harley. Or anyone else for that matter.”</p>
<p>“I can toss out the bag when we’re done,” Kokoro said. “But in the meantime…. As long as we’re going to throw it away, we should use it for more target practice.”</p>
<p>“Are you…sure?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Zoe looked over at Undine.</p>
<p>Undine shrugged her shoulders. “We might as well,” she said. “We’ll know better for next time.”</p>
<p>Zoe’s target practice continued for close to an hour, thanks in part to Kokoro’s energetic encouragement. By the end of it, the punching bag was so covered in magical flowers that there wasn’t a hint of it visible anymore under the metallic mass. Zoe had turned out to be extremely accurate with her slingshot. She was hitting her target even when she was standing on the far side of the room. About halfway through the training session, Undine had noticed that Zoe’s flower-shaped iris changed size whenever she took aim. Undine had to assume that Zoe’s powers were the reason for her accuracy. Not that Undine was complaining. Misses would’ve meant that there would’ve been errant flowers to try to remove from the walls.</p>
<p>Zoe put one last shot into the punching bag. It was almost impossible to tell where the new flower grew, but a crinkling, metallic sound made it clear that it had. Zoe lowered her slingshot and said, “This has been…good. But I need to go. People at…my school will wonder why I’m not back yet.”</p>
<p>“I can drive you there if you’d like,” Undine said.</p>
<p>“That’s…okay,” Zoe said. “There’s a bus stop near here. You’ve…already done enough for me today.”</p>
<p>“I guess that’s it then,” Kokoro said. A glow briefly surrounded her as she transformed back into her regular self. Undine and Zoe both took that as their cue and transformed as well. As Zoe’s magical girl outfit shimmered back into her regular clothes, her slingshot disappeared too. She was left holding onto nothing at all. She lowered her empty hand.</p>
<p>“So…do you live at that school?” Kokoro asked. “I didn’t think places like that were open during summer.”</p>
<p>“They’re not…usually,” Zoe said. “But they have…special programs for…kids who don’t go home.”</p>
<p>“Is your family…?” Kokoro started to ask, but then she thought better of it. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.”</p>
<p>Undine was glad that Kokoro wasn’t pressing the issue, but truth be told, she had a burning curiosity about how Zoe had ended up at a boarding school.</p>
<p>“No, it’s…okay…” Zoe said. “My big sister, Ariana, is paying for me to go to Future’s Promise.”</p>
<p>“Your sister?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“She works for a marketing company,” Zoe said. “She’s…really good at her job. They pay her a lot.”</p>
<p>“But what about your parents?” Kokoro asked.</p>
<p>“They…want what’s best for me,” Zoe said. “But they don’t understand…why I’m the way I am.”</p>
<p>“Zoe…” Undine said. “I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>“It’s alright…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“No it’s not!” Kokoro said. There was a scowl on her face. “They’re your parents! They should—!”</p>
<p>Zoe gave Kokoro a dismissive little wave. It was a small gesture, but it had the effect of silencing Kokoro.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Zoe repeated. “One day…when I’m strong enough to stand on my own…I’ll see them again. Maybe by then they’ll understand. Maybe they won’t. It’ll be…up to them.”</p>
<p>Undine couldn’t help herself. She walked over to Zoe and gave her a big hug. “You’re plenty strong already,” she said, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Thanks…Undine,” Zoe said, hugging her back.</p>
<p>Eventually, Undine let go of Zoe. She stepped back and wiped away a bit of moisture that was clinging to her cheeks.</p>
<p>Kokoro asked, “Does anyone else at the school, um…? Are you ‘out’ to anyone else?”</p>
<p>“Suzy, the RA, knows about me,” Zoe said. “She’s been really nice.”</p>
<p>“She has?” Kokoro asked, sounding shocked.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zoe said. “She said she’ll help me with the paperwork when…I’m ready to be me full time.”</p>
<p>Undine said, “I’m glad she’s there to help you out.”</p>
<p>“Um…” Zoe said, shuffling her feet. “Do we…do this training every day?”</p>
<p>“Naw,” Kokoro said. “Just when we feel like it.”</p>
<p>“And are there any more magical girls?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“No,” Undine said. “At least, I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>Kokoro said, “I actually asked Kicks about that today.”</p>
<p>“Kicks?” Zoe asked.</p>
<p>“That’s my cat,” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>“Oh. Right,” Zoe said. “Your…talking cat.”</p>
<p>Undine asked, “What did she say?”</p>
<p>“Something like, ‘There’s always as many magical girls as there needs to be,’” Kokoro said.</p>
<p>Zoe said, “That’s…good. Right?”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Undine said. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder. If what Kicks had said was true then perhaps Zoe’s new status as a magical girl meant that the monster problem was about to get worse.</p>
<p>“Either way we’re not going to be able to train tomorrow,” Kokoro said. She proudly puffed up her chest. “Me and Undine have a date!”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Zoe said. “So…Bud was right about that too.”</p>
<p>“Er…yes,” Undine said. She took Kokoro’s hand. “Kokoro is my girlfriend. But please don’t tell Bud that either. I’d never hear the end of it.”</p>
<p>“Alright…” Zoe said.</p>
<p>“Uh…” Undine said, turning to Kokoro. “What exactly are we doing on our date tomorrow? You never did tell me.”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Kokoro said. A sheepish expression crossed her face. “I hadn’t thought about that yet.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In the course of writing this chapter, almost inevitably, I got to thinking about how Zoe being trans is treated like not much of a big deal in the canon universe. Now you could say that the society in Sleepless Domain is simply more enlightened than ours. I certainly wouldn’t dismiss the idea. But let’s not forget that there are very real cosmic forces at work in their world, specifically those that grant magical girls their powers. It would take a special kind of pigheadedness (which, sadly, does exist) to look at a trans magical girl and tell her that she’s not really a girl. And…well, I’m honestly not sure what kind of point I’m trying to make here. It’s more of an observation.</p>
<p>Now for a fun fact! I started rough drafting this chapter literally the day before canon Zoe joined the canon Magical Girl Power Training Club. I originally hoped that would be more of an actually-fun fun fact, not a wow-I’m-so-far-behind fun fact. But here we are.</p>
<p>As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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